by H. G. Wells

by H. G. Wells [1898]

Transcribed in Ipifuny-oo

by Paul Stought

Ipifuny-oo is identical to Portul-oo except for the use of v as a vowel.  So this text is also a good example of Portul when this is kept in mind.  Ipifuny-oo, fvrthur; Portul-oo, furthur.

The Tiem Travulur (for so it wil be cunveenyunt tu speek uv him) wuz expounding a recundiet matur tu us. Hiz gray iez shoen and twinculd, and hiz uezhuuly pael faes wuz flusht and anumaetud. The fier burnd brietly, and the soft raedeuns uv the incundesunt liets in the lilyz uv silvur cot the bvbulz that flasht and past in our glasuz. Our cherz, being hiz patunts, imbraest and curest us rathur than submitud tu be sat upon, and ther wuz that lugzhooreus aftur-dinur atmusfir wen thot roemz graesfuly fre uv the tramulz uv prisizhun. And he poot it tu us in this way--marking the points with a leen forfingur--az we sat and laezuly udmierd hiz vrnustnus oevur this nu parrudox (az we thot it) and hiz ficunduty.

'Yu must folo me kerfuly. I shal hav tu contruvurt wun or tu iedeaz that ar olmoest uenuvursuly axeptud. The jeomutry, for instuns, thay tot yu at scool iz foundud on a miscunsepshun.'

'Iz not that rathur a larj thing tu expect us tu bigin upon?' sed Filby, an argyumentutiv pvrsun with red her.

'I du not meen tu ask yu tu axept enything without reezunubul ground for it. Yu wil soon udmit az much az I need frum yu. Yu no uv cors that a mathumaticul lien, a lien uv thiknus nil, haz no reel existuns. Thay tot yu that? Neethur haz a mathumaticul plaen. Theez thingz ar mir abstracshunz.'

'That iz ol riet,' sed the Siecolujist.

'Nor, having oenly length, bredth, and thiknus, can a cueb hav a reel existuns.'

'Ther I ubject,' sed Filby. 'Uv cors a solud body may exist. Ol reel thingz--'

'So moest peepul think. But waet a moemunt. Can an instuntaeneus cueb exist?'

'Doent folo yu,' sed Filby.

'Can a cueb that duz not last for eny tiem at ol, hav a reel existuns?'

Filby bicaem pensiv. 'Clirly,' the Tiem Travulur proeseedud, 'eny reel body must hav extenchun in for durecshunz: it must hav Length, Bredth, Thiknus, and--dooraeshun. But thru a nachurul infvrmuty uv the flesh, wich I wil explaen tu yu in a moemunt, we inclien tu oevurlook this fact. Ther ar reely for dumenchunz, thre wich we col the thre plaenz uv Spaes, and a forth, Tiem. Ther iz, howevur, a tendunsy tu draw an unreel distincshun bitween the formur thre dumenchunz and the latur, bicoz it hapunz that our conchusnus moovz inturmituntly in wun durecshun ulong the latur frum the bigining tu the end uv our lievz.'

'That,' sed a very yung man, maeking spazmodic efurts tu ryliet hiz sigar oevur the lamp; 'that ... very clir indeed.'

'Now, it iz very rimarkubul that this iz so extensivly oevurlookd,' cuntinued the Tiem Travulur, with a sliet axeshun uv chirfulnus. 'Reely this iz wot iz ment by the Forth Dumenchun, tho sum peepul hu tok ubout the Forth Dumenchun du not no thay meen it. It iz oenly unvthur way uv looking at Tiem. _Ther iz no difruns bitween Tiem and eny uv the thre dumenchunz uv Spaes exept that our conchusnus moovz ulong it_. But sum foolish peepul hav got hoeld uv the rong sied uv that iedea. Yu hav ol hurd wot thay hav tu say ubout this Forth Dumenchun?'

'_I_ hav not,' sed the Pruvinchul Maer.

'It iz simply this. That Spaes, az our mathumutishunz hav it, iz spoekun uv az having thre dumenchunz, wich wun may col Length, Bredth, and Thiknus, and iz olwaez difienubul by refuruns tu thre plaenz, eech at riet angulz tu the vthurz. But sum filusoficul peepul hav bin asking wy thre dumenchunz purticyulurly--wy not unvthur durecshun at riet angulz tu the vthur thre?--and hav eevun tried tu cunstrvct a For-dumenchun jeomutry. Prufesur Simon Newcomb wuz expounding this tu the Nu York Mathumaticul Susiuty oenly a munth or so ugo. Yu no how on a flat svrfus, wich haz oenly tu dumenchunz, we can reprizent a figyur uv a thre-dumenchunul solud, and simulurly thay think that by modulz uv thre dumenchunz thay cood reprizent wun uv for--if thay cood mastur the purspectiv uv the thing. Se?'

'I think so,' mvrmurd the Pruvinchul Maer; and, niting hiz browz, he lapst intu an intruspectiv staet, hiz lips mooving az wun hu ripeets mistic wurdz. 'Yes, I think I se it now,' he sed aftur sum tiem, brietuning in a quiet transutory manur.

'Wel, I du not miend teling yu I hav bin at wurk upon this jeomutry uv For Dumenchunz for sum tiem. Sum uv my rizvlts ar cyooreus. For instuns, hir iz a portrut uv a man at aet yirz oeld, unvthur at fifteen, unvthur at sevunteen, unvthur at twenty-thre, and so on. Ol theez ar evuduntly secshunz, az it wur, Thre-dumenchunul reprizentaeshunz uv hiz For-dumenchund being, wich iz a fixt and unolturubul thing.

'Siuntific peepul,' proeseedud the Tiem Travulur, aftur the poz riquierd for the propur usimulaeshun uv this, 'no very wel that Tiem iz oenly a kiend uv Spaes. Hir iz a popyulur siuntific diugram, a wethur recurd. This lien I traes with my fingur shoez the moovmunt uv the buromutur. Yesturdy it wuz so hy, yesturdy niet it fel, then this morning it roez ugen, and so jently vpwurd tu hir. Shoorly the mvrcyury did not traes this lien in eny uv the dumenchunz uv Spaes jenuruly recugniezd? But svrtunly it traest such a lien, and that lien, therfor, we must cunclood wuz ulong the Tiem-dumenchun.'

'But,' sed the Medicul Man, stering hard at a coel in the fier, 'if Tiem iz reely oenly a forth dumenchun uv Spaes, wy iz it, and wy haz it olwaez bin, rigardud az svmthing difrunt? And wy canot we moov in Tiem az we moov ubout in the vthur dumenchunz uv Spaes?'

The Tiem Travulur smield. 'Ar yu shoor we can moov freely in Spaes? Riet and left we can go, bakwurd and forwurd freely invf, and men olwaez hav dun so. I udmit we moov freely in tu dumenchunz. But how ubout up and doun? Gravutaeshun limuts us ther.'

'Not exacly,' sed the Medicul Man. 'Ther ar buloonz.'

'But bifor the buloonz, saev for spazmodic jumping and the iniquolutyz uv the svrfus, man had no freedum uv vurticul moovmunt.'

'Stil thay cood moov a litul up and doun,' sed the Medicul Man.

'Eezeur, far eezeur doun than up.'

'And yu canot moov at ol in Tiem, yu canot get uway frum the prezunt moemunt.'

'My dir sur, that iz just wer yu ar rong. That iz just wer the hoel wurld haz gon rong. We ar olwaez geting uway frum the prezunt moemunt. Our mentul existunsuz, wich ar imutireul and hav no dimenchunz, ar pasing ulong the Tiem-dimenchun with a uenuform vulosuty frum the craedul tu the graev. Just az we shood travul doun if we bigan our existuns fifty mielz ubuv the Earth's svrfus.'

'But the graet dificulty iz this,' inturuptud the Siecolujist. 'Yu can moov ubout in ol durecshunz uv Spaes, but yu canot moov ubout in Tiem.'

'That iz the jurm uv my graet discuvury. But yu ar rong tu say that we canot moov ubout in Tiem. For instuns, if I am ricoling an insudunt very vivudly I go bak tu the instunt uv its ucvruns:

I bicvm absunt-miendud, az yu say. I jump bak for a moemunt. Uv cors we hav no meenz uv staying bak for eny length uv Tiem, eny mor than a savij or an anumul haz uv staying six feet ubuv the ground. But a sivuliezd man iz betur of than the savij in this rispect. He can go up ugenst gravutaeshun in a buloon, and wy shood he not hoep that vltumutly he may be aebul tu stop or axeluraet hiz drift ulong the Tiem-dimenchun, or eevun turn ubout and travul the vthur way?'

'Oe, this,' bigan Filby, 'iz ol--'

'Wy not?' sed the Tiem Travulur.

'It's ugenst reezun,' sed Filby.

'Wot reezun?' sed the Tiem Travulur.

'Yu can sho blak iz wiet by argyumunt,' sed Filby, 'but yu wil nevur cunvins me.'

'Posubly not,' sed the Tiem Travulur. 'But now yu bigin tu se the objict uv my investugaeshunz intu the jeomutry uv For Dimenchunz. Long ugo I had a vaeg incling uv a musheen--'

'Tu travul thru Tiem!' exclaemd the Very Yung Man.

'That shal travul indifruntly in eny durecshun uv Spaes and Tiem, az the drievur ditvrmunz.'

Filby cuntentud himself with laftur.

'But I hav experumentul verufucaeshun,' sed the Tiem Travulur.

'It wood be rimarkubly cunveenyunt for the historeun,' the Siecolujist sugjestud. 'Wun miet travul bak and verufi the axeptud ucount uv the Batul uv Hastings, for instuns!'

'Doent yu think yu wood utract utenchun?' sed the Medicul Man.

'Our ansesturz had no graet toluruns for unacrunizumz.'

'Wun miet get wun'z Greek frum the very lips uv Hoemur and Plato,' the Very Yung Man thot.

'In wich caes thay wood svrtunly plow yu for the Litul-go.

The German scolurz hav improovd Greek so much.'

'Then ther iz the fuechur,' sed the Very Yung Man. 'Just think! Wun miet invest ol wun'z mvny, leev it tu ucuemyulaet at inturust, and hvry on uhed!'

'Tu discuvur a susiuty,' sed I, 'irectud on a strictly comyunistic baesus.'

'Uv ol the wield extravugunt theuryz!' bigan the Siecolujist.

'Yes, so it seemd tu me, and so I nevur tokd uv it until--'

'Experumentul verufucaeshun!' cried I. 'Yu ar going tu verufi that?'

'The experumunt!' cried Filby, hu wuz geting braen-wiry.

'Let's se yoor experumunt enyhow,' sed the Siecolujist, 'tho it's ol hvmbug, yu no.'

The Tiem Travulur smield round at us. Then, stil smieling faently, and with hiz handz deep in hiz trouzurz pocuts, he wokd sloely out uv the room, and we hurd hiz slipurz shvfuling doun the long pasij tu hiz labrutory.

The Siecolujist lookt at us. 'I wvndur wot he'z got?'

'Sum sliet-uv-hand trik or vthur,' sed the Medicul Man, and Filby tried tu tel us ubout a conjvrur he had seen at Burslem; but bifor he had finisht hiz prefus the Tiem Travulur caem bak, and Filby'z anicdoet culapst.

The thing the Tiem Travulur held in hiz hand wuz a glituring mutalic fraemwurk, skersly larjur than a smol clok, and very delicutly maed. Ther wuz ievury in it, and sum transperunt cristulun svbstuns. And now I must be explisut, for this that foloez--unles hiz explunaeshun iz tu be axeptud--iz an absulootly unucountubul thing. He took wun uv the smol octagunul taebulz that wur scaturd ubout the room, and set it in frunt uv the fier, with tu legz on the harthrug. On this taebul he plaest the mecunizum. Then he dru up a cher, and sat doun. The oenly vthur objict on the taebul wuz a smol shaedud lamp, the briet liet uv wich fel upon the modul. Ther wur olso purhaps a dvzun candulz ubout, tu in bras candulstikz upon the mantul and sevurul in sconsuz, so that the room wuz brilyuntly iloomunaetud. I sat in a lo arm-cher nirust the fier, and I dru this forwurd so az tu be olmoest bitween the Tiem Travulur and the fierplaes. Filby sat bihiend him, looking oevur hiz shoeldur. The Medicul Man and the Pruvinchul Maer wocht him in proefiel frum the riet, the Siecolujist frum the left. The Very Yung Man stood bihiend the Siecolujist. We wur ol on the ulvrt. It upirz incredubul tu me that eny kiend uv trik, howevur svtuly cunseevd and howevur udroitly dun, cood hav bin playd upon us vndur theez cundishunz.

The Tiem Travulur lookt at us, and then at the mecunizum. 'Wel?' sed the Siecolujist.

'This litul ufer,' sed the Tiem Travulur, resting hiz elboez upon the taebul and presing hiz handz tugethur ubuv the apuratus, 'iz oenly a modul. It iz my plan for a musheen tu travul thru tiem. Yu wil noetus that it looks singyulurly uscue, and that ther iz an od twincling upiruns ubout this bar, az tho it wuz in sum way unreel.' He pointud tu the part with hiz fingur. 'Olso, hir iz wun litul wiet levur, and hir iz unvthur.'

The Medicul Man got up out uv hiz cher and pird intu the thing.

'It's buetufuly maed,' he sed.

'It took tu yirz tu maek,' ritortud the Tiem Travulur. Then, wen we had ol imutaetud the acshun uv the Medicul Man, he sed: 'Now I wont yu clirly tu undurstand that this levur, being prest oevur, sendz the musheen glieding intu the fuechur, and this vthur rivursuz the moeshun. This sadul reprizents the seet uv a tiem travulur. Prezuntly I am going tu pres the levur, and of the musheen wil go. It wil vanish, pas intu fuechur Tiem, and disupir. Hav a good look at the thing. Look at the taebul tu, and satusfi yoorselvz ther iz no trikury. I doent wont tu waest this modul, and then be toeld I'm a quak.'

Ther wuz a minut's poz purhaps. The Siecolujist seemd ubout tu speek tu me, but chaenjd hiz miend. Then the Tiem Travulur poot forth hiz fingur tordz the levur. 'No,' he sed svdunly. 'Lend me yoor hand.' And turning tu the Siecolujist, he took that induvijuul'z hand in hiz oen and toeld him tu poot out hiz forfingur. So that it wuz the Siecolujist himself hu sent forth the modul Tiem Musheen on its intvrmunubul voiij. We ol saw the levur turn. I am absulootly svrtun ther wuz no trikury. Ther wuz a breth uv wind, and the lamp flaem jumpt. Wun uv the candulz on the mantul wuz bloen out, and the litul musheen svdunly swung round, bicaem indistinct, wuz seen az a goest for a secund purhaps, az an edy uv faently glituring bras and ievury; and it wuz gon--vanisht! Saev for the lamp the taebul wuz ber.

Evrywun wuz sielunt for a minut. Then Filby sed he wuz damd.

The Siecolujist ricuvurd frum hiz stoopur, and svdunly lookt vndur the taebul. At that the Tiem Travulur laft chirfuly. 'Wel?' he sed, with a remunisuns uv the Siecolujist. Then, geting up, he went tu the tubaco jar on the mantul, and with hiz bak tu us bigan tu fil hiz piep.

We sterd at eech vthur. 'Look hir,' sed the Medicul Man, 'ar yu in vrnust ubout this? Du yu sireusly bileev that that musheen haz travuld intu tiem?'

'Svrtunly,' sed the Tiem Travulur, stooping tu liet a spil at the fier. Then he turnd, lieting hiz piep, tu look at the Siecolujist's faes. (The Siecolujist, tu sho that he wuz not unhinjd, helpt himself tu a sigar and tried tu liet it uncvt.) 'Wot iz mor, I hav a big musheen nirly finisht in ther'--he inducaetud the labrutory--'and wen that iz poot tugethur I meen tu hav a jvrny on my oen ucount.'

'Yu meen tu say that that musheen haz travuld intu the fuechur?' sed Filby.

'Intu the fuechur or the past--I doent, for svrtun, no wich.'

Aftur an inturvul the Siecolujist had an inspuraeshun. 'It must hav gon intu the past if it haz gon enywer,' he sed.

'Wy?' sed the Tiem Travulur.

'Bicoz I prizoom that it haz not moovd in spaes, and if it travuld intu the fuechur it wood stil be hir ol this tiem, sins it must hav travuld thru this tiem.'

'But,' I sed, 'If it travuld intu the past it wood hav bin vizubul wen we caem furst intu this room; and last Thvrzdy wen we wur hir; and the Thvrzdy bifor that; and so forth!'

'Sireus ubjecshunz,' rimarkd the Pruvinchul Maer, with an er uv imparshealuty, turning tordz the Tiem Travulur.

'Not a bit,' sed the Tiem Travulur, and, tu the Siecolujist: 'Yu think. Yu can explaen that. It's prezuntaeshun bilo the threshoeld, yu no, dielootud prezuntaeshun.'

'Uv cors,' sed the Siecolujist, and reushoord us. 'That's a simpul point uv siecolujy. I shood hav thot uv it. It's plaen invf, and helps the parrudox dilietfuly. We canot se it, nor can we upreesheaet this musheen, eny mor than we can the spoek uv a weel spining, or a bvlut flying thru the er. If it iz travuling thru tiem fifty tiemz or a hvndrud tiemz fastur than we ar, if it gets thru a minut wiel we get thru a secund, the impreshun it creaets wil uv cors be oenly wun-fifteuth or wun-hvndrudth uv wot it wood maek if it wur not travuling in tiem. That's plaen invf.' He past hiz hand thru the spaes in wich the musheen had bin. 'Yu se?' he sed, lafing.

We sat and sterd at the vaecunt taebul for a minut or so. Then the Tiem Travulur askt us wot we thot uv it ol.

'It soundz plozubul invf tu-niet,' sed the Medicul Man; 'but waet until tu-moro. Waet for the comun sens uv the morning.'

'Wood yu liek tu se the Tiem Musheen itself?' askt the Tiem Travulur. And therwith, taeking the lamp in hiz hand, he led the way doun the long, drafty corudur tu hiz labrutory. I rimembur vivudly the flikuring liet, hiz quir, brod hed in siluet, the dans uv the shadoez, how we ol foloed him, pvzuld but increjulus, and how ther in the labrutory we biheld a larjur idishun uv the litul mecunizum wich we had seen vanish frum bifor our iez. Parts wur uv nicul, parts uv ievury, parts had svrtunly bin field or sawn out uv rok cristul. The thing wuz jenuruly cumpleet, but the twistud cristulun barz lay unfinisht upon the bench bisied sum sheets uv drawingz, and I took wun up for a betur look at it. Quorts it seemd tu be.

'Look hir,' sed the Medicul Man, 'ar yu pvrfictly sireus?

Or iz this a trik--liek that goest yu shoed us last Christmas?'

'Upon that musheen,' sed the Tiem Travulur, hoelding the lamp uloft, 'I intend tu explor tiem. Iz that plaen? I wuz nevur mor sireus in my lief.'

Nun uv us quiet nu how tu taek it.

I cot Filby'z ie oevur the shoeldur uv the Medicul Man, and he winkd at me solumly.

II

I think that at that tiem nun uv us quiet bileevd in the Tiem Musheen. The fact iz, the Tiem Travulur wuz wun uv thoez men hu ar tu clevur tu be bileevd: yu nevur felt that yu saw ol round him; yu olwaez suspectud sum svtul rizvrv, sum injunuuty in amboosh, bihiend hiz loosud franknus. Had Filby shoen the modul and explaend the matur in the Tiem Travulur'z wurdz, we shood hav shoen him far les skeptusizum. For we shood hav purseevd hiz moetivz; a pork boochur cood undurstand Filby. But the Tiem Travulur had mor than a tuch uv wim umvng hiz elumunts, and we distrustud him. Thingz that wood hav maed the fraem uv a les clevur man seemd trikz in hiz handz. It iz a mistaek tu du thingz tu eezuly. The sireus peepul hu took him sireusly nevur felt quiet shoor uv hiz diportmunt; thay wur svmhow uwer that trvsting ther repyutaeshunz for jvjmunt with him wuz liek fvrnishing a nvrsury with eg-shel chiena. So I doent think eny uv us sed very much ubout tiem travuling in the inturvul bitween that Thvrzdy and the next, tho its od putenchealutyz ran, no dout, in moest uv our miendz: its plozubiluty, that iz, its practicul incredubulnus, the cyooreus posubilutyz uv unacrunizum and uv vtur cunfuezhun it sugjestud. For my oen part, I wuz purticyulurly preocyupied with the trik uv the modul. That I rimembur discvsing with the Medicul Man, hoom I met on Friedy at the Linnaean. He sed he had seen a simulur thing at Tubingen, and laed cunsidurubul stres on the bloing out uv the candul. But how the trik wuz dun he cood not explaen.

The next Thvrzdy I went ugen tu Richmond--I supoez I wuz wun uv the Tiem Travulur'z moest constunt gests--and, urieving laet, found for or fiev men olredy usembuld in hiz drawing-room. The Medicul Man wuz standing bifor the fier with a sheet uv paepur in wun hand and hiz woch in the vthur. I lookt round for the Tiem Travulur, and--'it's haf-past sevun now,' sed the Medicul Man. 'I supoez we'd betur hav dinur?'

'Wer'z----?' sed I, naeming our hoest.

'Yu'v just cum? It's rathur od. He'z unuvoidubly ditaend. He asks me in this noet tu leed of with dinur at sevun if he'z not bak. Sez he'l explaen wen he cumz.'

'It seemz a pity tu let the dinur spoil,' sed the Edutur uv a wel-noen dayly paepur; and therupon the Doctur rang the bel.

The Siecolujist wuz the oenly pvrsun bisiedz the Doctur and myself hu had utendud the preeveus dinur. The vthur men wur Blank, the Edutur uformenchund, a svrtun jvrnulist, and unvthur--a quiut, shy man with a bird--hoom I didnt no, and hu, az far az my obzurvaeshun went, nevur oepund hiz mouth ol the eevning. Ther wuz sum specyulaeshun at the dinur-taebul ubout the Tiem Travulur'z absuns, and I sugjestud tiem travuling, in a haf-jocyulur spirut. The Edutur wontud that explaend tu him, and the Siecolujist voluntird a woodun ucount uv the 'injeenyus parrudox and trik' we had witnust that day week. He wuz in the midst uv hiz expuzishun wen the dor frum the corudur oepund sloely and without noiz. I wuz faesing the dor, and saw it furst. 'Halo!' I sed. 'At last!' And the dor oepund wiedur, and the Tiem Travulur stood bifor us. I gaev a cry uv surpriez. 'Good hevunz! man, wot's the matur?' cried the Medicul Man, hu saw him next. And the hoel taebulful turnd tordz the dor.

He wuz in an umaezing pliet. Hiz coet wuz dvsty and dvrty, and smird with green doun the sleevz; hiz her disordurd, and az it seemd tu me grayur--eethur with dust and durt or bicoz its cvlur had acchuuly faedud. Hiz faes wuz gastly pael; hiz chin had a broun cut on it--a cut haf heeld; hiz expreshun wuz hagurd and drawn, az by intens svfuring. For a moemunt he hezutaetud in the dorway, az if he had bin dazuld by the liet. Then he caem intu the room. He wokd with just such a limp az I hav seen in footsor tramps.

We sterd at him in sieluns, expecting him tu speek.

He sed not a wurd, but caem paenfuly tu the taebul, and maed a moeshun tordz the wien. The Edutur fild a glas uv shampaen, and poosht it tordz him. He draend it, and it seemd tu du him good: for he lookt round the taebul, and the goest uv hiz oeld smiel flikurd ucros hiz faes. 'Wot on Earth hav yu bin up tu, man?' sed the Doctur. The Tiem Travulur did not seem tu hir. 'Doent let me distvrb yu,' he sed, with a svrtun folturing articyulaeshun. 'I'm ol riet.' He stopt, held out hiz glas for mor, and took it of at a draft. 'That's good,' he sed. Hiz iez gru brietur, and a faent cvlur caem intu hiz cheekz. Hiz glans flikurd oevur our faesuz with a svrtun dul uproovul, and then went round the worm and cvmfurtubul room. Then he spoek ugen, stil az it wur feeling hiz way umvng hiz wurdz. 'I'm going tu wosh and dres, and then I'l cum doun and explaen thingz ... Saev me sum uv that mvtun. I'm starving for a bit uv meet.'

He lookt ucros at the Edutur, hu wuz a rer vizutur, and hoept he wuz ol riet. The Edutur bigan a queschun. 'Tel yu prezuntly,' sed the Tiem Travulur. 'I'm--fvny! Be ol riet in a minut.'

He poot doun hiz glas, and wokd tordz the stercaes dor. Ugen I rimarkd hiz laemnus and the soft pading sound uv hiz footfol, and standing up in my plaes, I saw hiz feet az he went out. He had nvthing on them but a per uv taturd, blud-staend sokz. Then the dor cloezd upon him. I had haf a miend tu folo, til I rimemburd how he ditestud eny fus ubout himself. For a minut, purhaps, my miend wuz wul-gathuring. Then, 'Rimarkubul Bihaevyur uv an Emununt Siuntist,' I hurd the Edutur say, thinking (aftur hiz wont) in hedlienz. And this brot my utenchun bak tu the briet dinur-taebul.

'Wot's the gaem?' sed the Jvrnulist. 'Haz he bin duing the Amutur Cajur?* I doent folo.' I met the ie uv the Siecolujist, and red my oen inturprutaeshun in hiz faes. I thot uv the Tiem Travulur limping paenfuly upsterz. I doent think eny wun els had noetust hiz laemnus.

*Cajur - cadger - beggar

The furst tu ricuvur cumpleetly frum this surpriez wuz the Medicul Man, hu rang the bel--the Tiem Travulur haetud tu hav svrvunts waeting at dinur--for a hot plaet. At that the Edutur turnd tu hiz nief and fork with a grunt, and the Sielunt Man foloed soot. The dinur wuz rizoomd. Convursaeshun wuz exclamutory for a litul wiel, with gaps uv wvndurmunt; and then the Edutur got fvrvunt in hiz cyooreosuty. 'Duz our frend eek out hiz modust incum with a crosing? or haz he hiz Nebuchadnezzar faezuz?' he inquierd. 'I feel ushoord it's this biznus uv the Tiem Musheen,' I sed, and took up the Siecolujist's ucount uv our preeveus meeting. The nu gests wur frankly increjulus. The Edutur raezd ubjecshunz. 'Wot wuz this tiem travuling? A man coodnt cuvur himself with dust by roeling in a parrudox, cood he?' And then, az the iedea caem hoem tu him, he rizortud tu carricuchoor. Hadnt thay eny cloez-brushuz in the Fuechur? The Jvrnulist tu, wood not bileev at eny pries, and joind the Edutur in the eezy wurk uv heeping riducuel on the hoel thing. Thay wur boeth the nu kiend uv jvrnulist--very joyus, irevurunt yung men. 'Our Speshul Coruspondunt in the Day aftur Tu-moro riports,' the Jvrnulist wuz saying--or rathur shouting--wen the Tiem Travulur caem bak. He wuz drest in ordunery eevning cloez, and nvthing saev hiz hagurd look rimaend uv the chaenj that had startuld me.

'I say,' sed the Edutur hilereusly, 'theez chaps hir say yu hav bin travuling intu the midul uv next week! Tel us ol ubout litul Rosebery, wil yu? Wot wil yu taek for the lot?'

The Tiem Travulur caem tu the plaes rizvrvd for him without a wurd. He smield quiutly, in hiz oeld way. 'Wer'z my mvtun?' he sed. 'Wot a treet it iz tu stik a fork intu meet ugen!'

'Story!' cried the Edutur.

'Story be damd!' sed the Tiem Travulur. 'I wont svmthing tu eet. I woent say a wurd until I get sum peptoen intu my arturyz. Thanks. And the solt.'

'Wun wurd,' sed I. 'Hav yu bin tiem travuling?'

'Yes,' sed the Tiem Travulur, with hiz mouth ful, noding hiz hed.

'I'd giv a shiling a lien for a vurbaetum noet,' sed the Edutur. The Tiem Travulur poosht hiz glas tordz the Sielunt Man and rang it with hiz fingurnael; at wich the Sielunt Man, hu had bin stering at hiz faes, startud cunvulsivly, and pord him wien. The rest uv the dinur wuz uncvmfurtubul. For my oen part, svdun queschunz kept on riezing tu my lips, and I der say it wuz the saem with the vthurz. The Jvrnulist tried tu rileev the tenchun by teling anicdoets uv Hettie Potur. The Tiem Travulur divoetud hiz utenchun tu hiz dinur, and displayd the aputiet uv a tramp. The Medicul Man smoekt a siguret, and wocht the Tiem Travulur thru hiz ielashuz. The Sielunt Man seemd eevun mor clvmzy than uezhuul, and drank shampaen with regyularruty and diturmunaeshun out uv shir nvrvusnus. At last the Tiem Travulur poosht hiz plaet uway, and lookt round us. 'I supoez I must upolujiez,' he sed. 'I wuz simply starving. I'v had a moest umaezing tiem.' He reecht out hiz hand for a sigar, and cut the end. 'But cum intu the smoeking-room. It's tu long a story tu tel oevur greesy plaets.' And ringing the bel in pasing, he led the way intu the ujoining room.

'Yu hav toeld Blank, and Dash, and Choez ubout the musheen?' he sed tu me, leening bak in hiz eezy-cher and naeming the thre nu gests.

'But the thing'z a mir parrudox,' sed the Edutur.

'I cant argue tu-niet. I doent miend teling yu the story, but I cant argue. I wil,' he went on, 'tel yu the story uv wot haz hapund tu me, if yu liek, but yu must rifraen frum inturupshunz. I wont tu tel it. Badly. Moest uv it wil sound liek lying. So be it! It's tru--evry wurd uv it, ol the saem. I wuz in my labrutory at for u'clok, and sins then ... I'v livd aet dayz ... such dayz az no huemun being evur livd bifor! I'm nirly worn out, but I shant sleep til I'v toeld this thing oevur tu yu. Then I shal go tu bed. But no inturupshunz! Iz it ugreed?'

'Ugreed,' sed the Edutur, and the rest uv us ecoed 'Ugreed.' And with that the Tiem Travulur bigan hiz story az I hav set it forth. He sat bak in hiz cher at furst, and spoek liek a wiry man. Afturwurdz he got mor anumaetud. In rieting it doun I feel with oenly tu much keennus the inadiquusy uv pen and ink--and, ubuv ol, my oen inadiquusy--tu expres its quoluty. Yu reed, I wil supoez, utentivly invf; but yu canot se the speekur'z wiet, sinsir faes in the briet svrcul uv the litul lamp, nor hir the intunaeshun uv hiz vois. Yu canot no how hiz expreshun foloed the turnz uv hiz story! Moest uv us hirurz wur in shado, for the candulz in the smoeking-room had not bin lietud, and oenly the faes uv the Jvrnulist and the legz uv the Sielunt Man frum the neez dounwurd wur iloomunaetud. At furst we glanst now and ugen at eech vthur. Aftur a tiem we seest tu du that, and lookt oenly at the Tiem Travulur'z faes.

III

'I toeld sum uv yu last Thvrzdy uv the prinsupulz uv the Tiem Musheen, and shoed yu the acchuul thing itself, incumpleet in the wvrkshop. Ther it iz now, a litul travul-worn, trooly; and wun uv the ievury barz iz crakt, and a bras rael bent; but the rest uv it's sound invf. I expectud tu finish it on Friedy, but on Friedy, wen the pooting tugethur wuz nirly dun, I found that wun uv the nicul barz wuz exacly wun inch tu short, and this I had tu get rymaed; so that the thing wuz not cumpleet until this morning. It wuz at ten u'clok tu-day that the furst uv ol Tiem Musheenz bigan its curir. I gaev it a last tap, tried ol the scrooz ugen, poot wun mor drop uv oil on the quorts rod, and sat myself in the sadul. I supoez a suusied hu hoeldz a pistul tu hiz scul feelz much the saem wvndur at wot wil cum next az I felt then. I took the starting levur in wun hand and the stoping wun in the vthur, prest the furst, and olmoest imeedeutly the secund. I seemd tu reel; I felt a nietmer sensaeshun uv foling; and, looking round, I saw the labrutory exacly az bifor. Had enything hapund? For a moemunt I suspectud that my intulect had trikd me. Then I noetud the clok. A moemunt bifor, az it seemd, it had stood at a minut or so past ten; now it wuz nirly haf-past thre!

'I dru a breth, set my teeth, gript the starting levur with boeth handz, and went of with a thud. The labrutory got haezy and went dark. Mrs. Watchett caem in and wokd, uparruntly without seing me, tordz the gardun dor. I supoez it took hur a minut or so tu truvurs the plaes, but tu me she seemd tu shoot ucros the room liek a rocut. I prest the levur oevur tu its extreem puzishun. The niet caem liek the turning out uv a lamp, and in unvthur moemunt caem tu-moro. The labrutory gru faent and haezy, then faentur and evur faentur. Tu-moro niet caem blak, then day ugen, niet ugen, day ugen, fastur and fastur stil. An edying mvrmur fild my irz, and a straenj, dum cunfuezudnus disendud on my miend.

'I am ufraed I canot cunvay the picuelyur sensaeshunz uv tiem travuling. Thay ar exesivly unplezunt. Ther iz a feeling exacly liek that wun haz upon a swichbak*--uv a helplus hedlong moeshun! I felt the saem horubul antisupaeshun, tu, uv an imununt smash. Az I poot on paes, niet foloed day liek the flaping uv a blak wing. The dim sugjeschun uv the labrutory seemd prezuntly tu fol uway frum me, and I saw the sun hoping swiftly ucros the sky, leeping it evry minut, and evry minut marking a day. I supoezd the labrutory had bin distroyd and I had cum intu the oepun er. I had a dim impreshun uv scafulding, but I wuz olredy going tu fast tu be conchus uv eny mooving thingz. The sloust snael that evur crold dasht by tu fast for me. The twincling suxeshun uv darknus and liet wuz exesivly paenful tu the ie. Then, in the inturmitunt darknusuz, I saw the moon spining swiftly thru hur quorturz frum nu tu ful, and had a faent glimps uv the svrculing starz. Prezuntly, az I went on, stil gaening vulosuty, the palputaeshun uv niet and day murjd intu wun cuntinueus graynus; the sky took on a wvndurful deepnus uv blu, a splendud loomunus cvlur liek that uv vrly twieliet; the jurking sun bicaem a streek uv fier, a brilyunt arch, in spaes; the moon a faentur flucchuaeting band; and I cood se nvthing uv the starz, saev now and then a brietur svrcul flikuring in the blu.

*swichbak - switchback - roller coaster.

'The landscaep wuz misty and vaeg. I wuz stil on the hil-sied upon wich this hous now standz, and the shoeldur roez ubuv me gray and dim. I saw treez groing and chaenjing liek pufs uv vaepur, now broun, now green; thay gru, spred, shivurd, and past uway. I saw huej bildingz riez up faent and fer, and pas liek dreemz. The hoel svrfus uv the Earth seemd chaenjd--melting and floing vndur my iez. The litul handz upon the diulz that rejusturd my speed raest round fastur and fastur. Prezuntly I noetud that the sun belt swaied up and doun, frum solstus tu solstus, in a minut or les, and that consuquuntly my paes wuz oevur a yir a minut; and minut by minut the wiet sno flasht ucros the wurld, and vanisht, and wuz foloed by the briet, breef green uv spring.

'The unplezunt sensaeshunz uv the start wur les poinyunt now. Thay murjd at last intu a kiend uv histericul exiluraeshun. I rimarkd indeed a clvmzy swaying uv the musheen, for wich I wuz unaebul tu ucount. But my miend wuz tu cunfuezd tu utend tu it, so with a kiend uv madnus groing upon me, I flung myself intu fuechvruty. At furst I skers thot uv stoping, skers thot uv enything but theez nu sensaeshunz. But prezuntly a fresh siryz uv impreshunz gru up in my miend--a svrtun cyooreosuty and therwith a svrtun dred--until at last thay took cumpleet puzeshun uv me. Wot straenj divelupmunts uv huemanuty, wot wvndurful udvansuz upon our roodumentury sivuluzaeshun, I thot, miet not upir wen I caem tu look nirly intu the dim iloosiv wurld that raest and flucchuaetud bifor my iez! I saw graet and splendud arcutecchur riezing ubout me, mor masiv than eny bildingz uv our oen tiem, and yet, az it seemd, bilt uv glimur and mist. I saw a richur green flo up the hil-sied, and rimaen ther, without eny wintry inturmishun. Eevun thru the vael uv my cunfuezhun the Earth seemd very fer. And so my miend caem round tu the biznus uv stoping.

'The picuelyur risk lay in the posubiluty uv my fiending sum svbstuns in the spaes wich I, or the musheen, ocyupied. So long az I travuld at a hy vulosuty thru tiem, this skersly maturd; I wuz, so tu speek, utenueaetud--wuz sliping liek a vaepur thru the inturstusuz uv inturveening svbstunsuz! But tu cum tu a stop involvd the jaming uv myself, molicuel by molicuel, intu wotevur lay in my way; ment bringing my atumz intu such intumut contact with thoez uv the obstucul that a prufound kemicul reacshun--posubly a far-reeching exploezhun--wood rizvlt, and blo myself and my apuratus out uv ol posubul dimenchunz--intu the Unnoen. This posubiluty had ucvrd tu me ugen and ugen wiel I wuz maeking the musheen; but then I had chirfuly axeptud it az an unuvoidubul risk--wun uv the riskz a man haz got tu taek! Now the risk wuz inevutubul, I no longur saw it in the saem chirful liet. The fact iz that, insensubly, the absuloot straenjnus uv evrything, the sikly jaring and swaying uv the musheen, ubuv ol, the feeling uv prulongd foling, had absulootly upset my nurv. I toeld myself that I cood nevur stop, and with a gust uv pechuluns I rizolvd tu stop forthwith. Liek an impaeshunt fool, I lugd oevur the levur, and incontununtly the thing went reeling oevur, and I wuz flung hedlong thru the er.

'Ther wuz the sound uv a clap uv thvndur in my irz. I may hav bin stund for a moemunt. A pitilus hael wuz hising round me, and I wuz siting on soft turf in frunt uv the oevurset musheen. Evrything stil seemd gray, but prezuntly I rimarkd that the cunfuezhun in my irz wuz gon. I lookt round me. I wuz on wot seemd tu be a litul lon in a gardun, suroundud by roedudendrun booshuz, and I noetust that ther mov and pvrpul blosumz wur droping in a shour vndur the beeting uv the hael-stoenz. The reebounding, dansing hael hung in a cloud oevur the musheen, and droev ulong the ground liek smoek. In a moemunt I wuz wet tu the skin. "Fien hosputaluty," sed I, "tu a man hu haz travuld inoomurubul yirz tu se yu."

'Prezuntly I thot wot a fool I wuz tu get wet. I stood up and lookt round me. A culosul figyur, carvd uparruntly in sum wiet stoen, loomd indistinctly beond the roedudendrunz thru the haezy dounpor. But ol els uv the wurld wuz invizubul.

'My sensaeshunz wood be hard tu discrieb. Az the columz uv hael gru thinur, I saw the wiet figyur mor distinctly. It wuz very larj, for a silvur burch-tre tucht its shoeldur. It wuz uv wiet marbul, in shaep svmthing liek a wingd sfinx, but the wingz, insted uv being carryd vurticly at the siedz, wur spred so that it seemd tu huvur. The pedustul, it upird tu me, wuz uv bronz, and wuz thik with vurdugrys. It chanst that the faes wuz tordz me; the sietlus iez seemd tu woch me; ther wuz the faent shado uv a smiel on the lips. It wuz graetly wethur-worn, and that impartud an unplezunt sugjeschun uv dizeez. I stood looking at it for a litul spaes--haf a minut, purhaps, or haf an our. It seemd tu udvans and tu riseed az the hael droev bifor it densur or thinur. At last I tor my iez frum it for a moemunt and saw that the hael cvrtun had worn thredber, and that the sky wuz lietuning with the promus uv the sun.

'I lookt up ugen at the crouching wiet shaep, and the ful tumeruty uv my voiij caem svdunly upon me. Wot miet upir wen that haezy cvrtun wuz oltugethur withdrawn? Wot miet not hav hapund tu men? Wot if croolty had groen intu a comun pashun? Wot if in this inturvul the raes had lost its manlynus and had divelupt intu svmthing inhuemun, unsimputhetic, and oevurwelmingly pourful? I miet seem sum oeld-wurld savij anumul, oenly the mor dredful and disgvsting for our comun lieknus--a foul creechur tu be incontununtly slaen.

'Olredy I saw vthur vast shaeps--huej bildingz with intricut parruputs and tol columz, with a woodud hil-sied dimly creeping in upon me thru the lesuning storm. I wuz seezd with a panic fir. I turnd franticly tu the Tiem Musheen, and stroev hard tu reujvst it. Az I did so the shafts uv the sun smoet thru the thvndurstorm. The gray dounpor wuz swept usied and vanisht liek the traeling garmunts uv a goest. Ubuv me, in the intens blu uv the svmur sky, sum faent broun shredz uv cloud wurld intu nvthingnus. The graet bildingz ubout me stood out clir and distinct, shiening with the wet uv the thvndurstorm, and pikd out in wiet by the unmeltud haelstoenz pield ulong ther corsuz. I felt naecud in a straenj wurld. I felt az purhaps a burd may feel in the clir er, noing the hok wingz ubuv and wil swoop. My fir gru tu frenzy. I took a breething spaes, set my teeth, and ugen grapuld firsly, rist and ne, with the musheen. It gaev vndur my despurut onset and turnd oevur. It struk my chin viuluntly. Wun hand on the sadul, the vthur on the levur, I stood panting hevuly in atutood tu mount ugen.

'But with this ricuvury uv a prompt ritreet my curij ricuvurd. I lookt mor cyooreusly and les firfuly at this wurld uv the rimoet fuechur. In a svrcyulur oepuning, hy up in the wol uv the nirur hous, I saw a groop uv figyurz clad in rich soft roebz. Thay had seen me, and ther faesuz wur durectud tordz me.

'Then I hurd voisuz uproeching me. Cuming thru the booshuz by the Wiet Sfinx wur the hedz and shoeldurz uv men rvning. Wun uv theez imvrjd in a pathway leeding straet tu the litul lon upon wich I stood with my musheen. He wuz a sliet creechur--purhaps for feet hy--clad in a pvrpul toonic, gvrduld at the waest with a lethur belt. Sandulz or bvscunz--I cood not clirly distingwish wich--wur on hiz feet; hiz legz wur ber tu the neez, and hiz hed wuz ber. Noetusing that, I noetust for the furst tiem how worm the er wuz.

'He struk me az being a very buetuful and graesful creechur, but indiscriebubly frael. Hiz flusht faes rimiendud me uv the mor buetuful kiend uv cunsvmtiv--that hectic buety uv wich we uezd tu hir so much. At the siet uv him I svdunly rygaend confuduns. I took my handz frum the musheen.

IV

'In unvthur moemunt we wur standing faes tu faes, I and this frajul thing out uv fuechvruty. He caem straet up tu me and laft intu my iez. The absuns frum hiz bering uv eny sien uv fir struk me at wuns. Then he turnd tu the tu vthurz hu wur foloing him and spoek tu them in a straenj and very sweet and liquud tung.

'Ther wur vthurz cuming, and prezuntly a litul groop uv purhaps aet or ten uv theez exquizut creechurz wur ubout me. Wun uv them udrest me. It caem intu my hed, odly invf, that my vois wuz tu harsh and deep for them. So I shook my hed, and, pointing tu my irz, shook it ugen. He caem a step forwurd, hezutaetud, and then tucht my hand. Then I felt vthur soft litul tentuculz upon my bak and shoeldurz. Thay wontud tu maek shoor I wuz reel. Ther wuz nvthing in this at ol ularming. Indeed, ther wuz svmthing in theez prity litul peepul that inspierd confuduns--a graesful jentulnus, a svrtun chieldliek eez. And bisiedz, thay lookt so frael that I cood fansy myself flinging the hoel dvzun uv them ubout liek nien-pinz. But I maed a svdun moeshun tu worn them wen I saw ther litul pink handz feeling at the Tiem Musheen. Hapuly then, wen it wuz not tu laet, I thot uv a daenjur I had hithurtu furgotun, and reeching oevur the barz uv the musheen I unscrood the litul levurz that wood set it in moeshun, and poot theez in my pocut. Then I turnd ugen tu se wot I cood du in the way uv cumuenucaeshun.

'And then, looking mor nirly intu ther feechurz, I saw sum fvrthur picueleerutyz in ther Dresden-chiena tiep uv pritynus. Ther her, wich wuz uenuformly cvrly, caem tu a sharp end at the nek and cheek; ther wuz not the faentust sugjeschun uv it on the faes, and ther irz wur singyulurly mienoot. The mouths wur smol, with briet red, rathur thin lips, and the litul chinz ran tu a point. The iez wur larj and mield; and--this may seem eegutizum on my part--I fansyd eevun that ther wuz a svrtun lak uv the inturust I miet hav expectud in them.

'Az thay maed no efurt tu cumuenucaet with me, but simply stood round me smieling and speeking in soft cuing noets tu eech vthur, I bigan the convursaeshun. I pointud tu the Tiem Musheen and tu myself. Then hezutaeting for a moemunt how tu expres tiem, I pointud tu the sun. At wuns a quaently prity litul figyur in checurd pvrpul and wiet foloed my jeschur, and then ustonisht me by imutaeting the sound uv thvndur.

'For a moemunt I wuz stagurd, tho the import uv hiz jeschur wuz plaen invf. The queschun had cum intu my miend ubrvptly: wur theez creechurz foolz? Yu may hardly undurstand how it took me. Yu se I had olwaez antisupaetud that the peepul uv the yir Aet Hvndrud and Tu Thouzund od wood be incredubly in frunt uv us in nolij, art, evrything. Then wun uv them svdunly askt me a queschun that shoed him tu be on the intulecchuul levul uv wun uv our fiev-yir-oeld childrun--askt me, in fact, if I had cum frum the sun in a thvndurstorm! It let loos the jvjmunt I had suspendud upon ther cloez, ther frael liet limz, and frajul feechurz. A flo uv disupointmunt rusht ucros my miend. For a moemunt I felt that I had bilt the Tiem Musheen in vaen.

'I nodud, pointud tu the sun, and gaev them such a vivud renduring uv a thvndurclap az startuld them. Thay ol withdru a paes or so and bowd. Then caem wun lafing tordz me, carrying a chaen uv buetuful flourz oltugethur nu tu me, and poot it ubout my nek. The iedea wuz riseevd with muloedeus uploz; and prezuntly thay wur ol rvning tu and fro for flourz, and lafingly flinging them upon me until I wuz olmoest smvthurd with blosum. Yu hu hav nevur seen the liek can skersly imajun wot delicut and wvndurful flourz countlus yirz uv cvlchur had creaetud. Then svmwun sugjestud that ther plaything shood be exibutud in the nirust bilding, and so I wuz led past the sfinx uv wiet marbul, wich had seemd tu woch me ol the wiel with a smiel at my ustonishmunt, tordz a vast gray edufus uv fretud stoen. Az I went with them the memry uv my confudunt antisupaeshunz uv a prufoundly graev and intulecchuul posteruty caem, with irizistubul merymunt, tu my miend.

'The bilding had a huej entry, and wuz oltugethur uv culosul dimenchunz. I wuz nachuruly moest ocyupied with the groing croud uv litul peepul, and with the big oepun portulz that yond bifor me shadoey and mistireus. My jenurul impreshun uv the wurld I saw oevur ther hedz wuz a tanguld waest uv buetuful booshuz and flourz, a long niglectud and yet weedlus gardun. I saw a nvmbur uv tol spiekz uv straenj wiet flourz, mezhuring a foot purhaps ucros the spred uv the waxun petulz. Thay gru scaturd, az if wield, umvng the vereugaetud shrubz, but, az I say, I did not examun them cloesly at this tiem. The Tiem Musheen wuz left dizvrtud on the turf umvng the roedudendrunz.

'The arch uv the dorway wuz richly carvd, but nachuruly I did not ubzvrv the carving very narroely, tho I fansyd I saw sugjeschunz uv oeld Phoenician decuraeshunz az I past thru, and it struk me that thay wur very badly broekun and wethur-worn. Sevurul mor brietly clad peepul met me in the dorway, and so we enturd, I, drest in dinjy nienteenth-senchury garmunts, looking groetesk invf, garlundud with flourz, and suroundud by an edying mas uv briet, soft-cvlurd roebz and shiening wiet limz, in a muloedeus wurl uv laftur and lafing speech.

'The big dorway oepund intu a pruporshunutly graet hol hung with broun. The roof wuz in shado, and the windoez, parshuly glaezd with cvlurd glas and parshuly unglaezd, udmitud a tempurd liet. The flor wuz maed up uv huej blokz uv sum very hard wiet metul, not plaets nor slabz--blokz, and it wuz so much worn, az I jujd by the going tu and fro uv past jenuraeshunz, az tu be deeply chanuld ulong the mor freequuntud wayz. Transvurs tu the length wur inoomurubul taebulz maed uv slabz uv polisht stoen, raezd purhaps a foot frum the flor, and upon theez wur heeps uv froots. Sum I recugniezd az a kiend uv hiepurtroefyd razbery and orinj, but for the moest part thay wur straenj.

'Bitween the taebulz wuz scaturd a graet nvmbur uv cooshunz. Upon theez my cundvcturz seetud themselvz, siening for me tu du liekwiez. With a prity absuns uv serumoeny thay bigan tu eet the froot with ther handz, flinging peel and stokz, and so forth, intu the round oepuningz in the siedz uv the taebulz. I wuz not loeth tu folo ther exampul, for I felt thvrsty and hvngry. Az I did so I survayd the hol at my leezhur.

'And purhaps the thing that struk me moest wuz its dulapudaetud look. The staend-glas windoez, wich displayd oenly a jeumetricul paturn, wur broekun in meny plaesuz, and the cvrtunz that hung ucros the loeur end wur thik with dust. And it cot my ie that the cornur uv the marbul taebul nir me wuz fracchurd. Nevurthules, the jenurul ifect wuz extreemly rich and picchuresk. Ther wur, purhaps, a cupul uv hvndrud peepul diening in the hol, and moest uv them, seetud az nir tu me az thay cood cum, wur woching me with inturust, ther litul iez shiening oevur the froot thay wur eeting. Ol wur clad in the saem soft and yet strong, silky mutireul.

'Froot, by the by, wuz ol ther diut. Theez peepul uv the rimoet fuechur wur strict vejutereunz, and wiel I wuz with them, in spiet uv sum carnul craevingz, I had tu be froojivurus olso. Indeed, I found afturwurdz that horsuz, catul, sheep, dogz, had foloed the Ichthyosaurus intu extincshun. But the froots wur very dilietful; wun, in purticyulur, that seemd tu be in seezun ol the tiem I wuz ther--a floury thing in a thre-siedud husk--wuz ispeshuly good, and I maed it my staepul. At furst I wuz pvzuld by ol theez straenj froots, and by the straenj flourz I saw, but laetur I bigan tu purseev ther import.

'Howevur, I am teling yu uv my froot dinur in the distunt fuechur now. So soon az my aputiet wuz a litul chekt, I ditvrmund tu maek a rezuloot utempt tu lurn the speech uv theez nu men uv mien. Clirly that wuz the next thing tu du. The froots seemd a cunveenyunt thing tu bigin upon, and hoelding wun uv theez up I bigan a siryz uv inturogutiv soundz and jeschurz. I had sum cunsidurubul dificulty in cunvaying my meening. At furst my efurts met with a ster uv surpriez or inextingwishubul laftur, but prezuntly a fer-herd litul creechur seemd tu grasp my intenchun and ripeetud a naem. Thay had tu chatur and explaen the biznus at graet length tu eech vthur, and my furst utempts tu maek the exquizut litul soundz uv ther langwij cozd an imens umount uv umuezmunt. Howevur, I felt liek a scoolmastur umidst childrun, and pursistud, and prezuntly I had a scor uv noun svbstuntivz at leest at my cumand; and then I got tu dimonstrutiv proenounz, and eevun the vurb "tu eet." But it wuz slo wurk, and the litul peepul soon tierd and wontud tu get uway frum my interugaeshunz, so I ditvrmund, rathur uv nusesuty, tu let them giv ther lesunz in litul doesuz wen thay felt incliend. And very litul doesuz I found thay wur bifor long, for I nevur met peepul mor indulunt or mor eezuly futeegd.

'A quir thing I soon discuvurd ubout my litul hoests, and that wuz ther lak uv inturust. Thay wood cum tu me with eegur criez uv ustonishmunt, liek childrun, but liek childrun thay wood soon stop examuning me and wondur uway aftur sum vthur toy. The dinur and my convursaeshunul biginingz endud, I noetud for the furst tiem that olmoest ol thoez hu had suroundud me at furst wur gon. It iz od, tu, how speeduly I caem tu disrigard theez litul peepul. I went out thru the portul intu the svnlit wurld ugen az soon az my hvngur wuz satusfied. I wuz cuntinueuly meeting mor uv theez men uv the fuechur, hu wood folo me a litul distuns, chatur and laf ubout me, and, having smield and jesticyulaetud in a frendly way, leev me ugen tu my oen diviesuz.

'The com uv eevning wuz upon the wurld az I imvrjd frum the graet hol, and the seen wuz lit by the worm glo uv the seting sun. At furst thingz wur very cunfuezing. Evrything wuz so intierly difrunt frum the wurld I had noen--eevun the flourz. The big bilding I had left wuz sichuaetud on the sloep uv a brod rivur valy, but the Thames had shiftud purhaps a miel frum its prezunt puzishun. I rizolvd tu mount tu the svmut uv a crest, purhaps a miel and a haf uway, frum wich I cood get a wiedur vue uv this our planut in the yir Aet Hvndrud and Tu Thouzund Sevun Hvndrud and Wun A. D. For that, I shood explaen, wuz the daet the litul diulz uv my musheen ricordud.

'Az I wokd I wuz woching for evry impreshun that cood posubly help tu explaen the cundishun uv ruunus splendur in wich I found the wurld--for ruunus it wuz. A litul way up the hil, for instuns, wuz a graet heep uv granut, bound tugethur by masuz uv uloomunum, a vast laburinth uv prisiputus wolz and crvmpuld heeps, umidst wich wur thik heeps uv very buetuful pugoeda-liek plants--netulz posubly--but wvndurfuly tintud with broun ubout the leevz, and incaepubul uv stinging. It wuz evuduntly the derulict rimaenz uv sum vast strvcchur, tu wot end bilt I cood not ditvrmun. It wuz hir that I wuz destund, at a laetur daet, tu hav a very straenj expireuns--the furst intumaeshun uv a stil straenjur discuvury--but uv that I wil speek in its propur plaes.

'Looking round with a svdun thot, frum a terus on wich I restud for a wiel, I reuliezd that ther wur no smol houzuz tu be seen. Uparruntly the singul hous, and posubly eevun the houshoeld, had vanisht. Hir and ther umvng the greenury wur palus-liek bildingz, but the hous and the cotij, wich form such carructuristic feechurz uv our oen English landscaep, had disupird.

'"Comyunizum," sed I tu myself.

'And on the heelz uv that caem unvthur thot. I lookt at the haf-dvzun litul figyurz that wur foloing me. Then, in a flash, I purseevd that ol had the saem form uv costoom, the saem soft herlus vizij, and the saem gvrlish roetunduty uv lim. It may seem straenj, purhaps, that I had not noetust this bifor. But evrything wuz so straenj. Now, I saw the fact plaenly invf. In costoom, and in ol the difrunsuz uv texchur and bering that now mark of the sexuz frum eech vthur, theez peepul uv the fuechur wur uliek. And the childrun seemd tu my iez tu be but the mineuchurz uv ther perunts. I jujd, then, that the childrun uv that tiem wur extreemly pricoeshus, fiziculy at leest, and I found afturwurdz ubvndunt verufucaeshun uv my upinyun.

'Seing the eez and sicyooruty in wich theez peepul wur living, I felt that this cloes rizembluns uv the sexuz wuz aftur ol wot wun wood expect; for the strength uv a man and the softnus uv a woomun, the instutooshun uv the famuly, and the difurencheaeshun uv ocyupaeshunz ar mir milutunt nusesutyz uv an aej uv fizicul fors; wer popyulaeshun iz balunst and ubvndunt, much chieldbering bicvmz an eevul rathur than a blesing tu the Staet; wer viuluns cumz but rerly and of-spring ar sicyoor, ther iz les nusesuty--indeed ther iz no nusesuty--for an ifishunt famuly, and the speshuluzaeshun uv the sexuz with refuruns tu ther childrun'z needz disupirz. We se sum biginingz uv this eevun in our oen tiem, and in this fuechur aej it wuz cumpleet. This, I must rimiend yu, wuz my specyulaeshun at the tiem. Laetur, I wuz tu upreesheaet how far it fel short uv the realuty.

'Wiel I wuz muezing upon theez thingz, my utenchun wuz utractud by a prity litul strvcchur, liek a wel vndur a cuepula. I thot in a transutory way uv the odnus uv welz stil existing, and then rizoomd the thred uv my specyulaeshunz. Ther wur no larj bildingz tordz the top uv the hil, and az my woking pourz wur evuduntly muracyulus, I wuz prezuntly left uloen for the furst tiem. With a straenj sens uv freedum and udvenchur I poosht on up tu the crest.

'Ther I found a seet uv sum yelo metul that I did not recugniez, curoedud in plaesuz with a kiend uv pinkish rust and haf smvthurd in soft mos, the arm-rests cast and field intu the rizembluns uv grifunz' hedz. I sat doun on it, and I survayd the brod vue uv our oeld wurld vndur the svnset uv that long day. It wuz az sweet and fer a vue az I hav evur seen. The sun had olredy gon bilo the huriezun and the west wuz flaeming goeld, tucht with sum horuzontul barz uv pvrpul and crimzun. Bilo wuz the valy uv the Thames, in wich the rivur lay liek a band uv bvrnisht steel. I hav olredy spoekun uv the graet palusuz dotud ubout umvng the vereugaetud greenury, sum in ruunz and sum stil ocyupied. Hir and ther roez a wiet or silvury figyur in the waest gardun uv the Earth, hir and ther caem the sharp vurticul lien uv sum cuepula or obulisk. Ther wur no hejuz, no sienz uv prupriutery riets, no evudunsuz uv agruculchur; the hoel Earth had bicvm a gardun.

'So woching, I bigan tu poot my inturprutaeshun upon the thingz I had seen, and az it shaept itself tu me that eevning, my inturprutaeshun wuz svmthing in this way. (Afturwurdz I found I had got oenly a haf-trooth--or oenly a glimps uv wun fasut uv the trooth.)

'It seemd tu me that I had hapund upon huemanuty upon the waen. The rvdy svnset set me thinking uv the svnset uv mankiend. For the furst tiem I bigan tu reuliez an od consuquuns uv the soeshul efurt in wich we ar at prezunt ingaejd. And yet, cum tu think, it iz a lojicul consuquuns invf. Strength iz the outcum uv need; sicyooruty sets a preemeum on feebulnus. The wurk uv umeeleuraeting the cundishunz uv lief--the tru sivuliezing proses that maekz lief mor and mor sicyoor--had gon steduly on tu a cliemax. Wun triumf uv a uenietud huemanuty oevur Naechur had foloed unvthur. Thingz that ar now mir dreemz had bicvm projects diliburutly poot in hand and carryd forwurd. And the harvust wuz wot I saw!

'Aftur ol, the sanutaeshun and the agruculchur uv tu-day ar stil in the roodumentury staej. The siuns uv our tiem haz utakd but a litul dipartmunt uv the feeld uv huemun dizeez, but eevun so, it spredz its opuraeshunz very steduly and pursistuntly. Our agruculchur and hortuculchur distroy a weed just hir and ther and cvltuvaet purhaps a scor or so uv hoelsum plants, leeving the graetur nvmbur tu fiet out a baluns az thay can. We improov our faevurut plants and anumulz--and how fue thay ar--grajuuly by sulectiv breeding; now a nu and betur peech, now a seedlus graep, now a sweetur and larjur flour, now a mor cunveenyunt breed uv catul. We improov them grajuuly, bicoz our iedeulz ar vaeg and tentutiv, and our nolij iz very limutud; bicoz Naechur, tu, iz shy and slo in our clvmzy handz. Sum day ol this wil be betur orguniezd, and stil betur. That iz the drift uv the cvrunt in spiet uv the edyz. The hoel wurld wil be intelujunt, ejucaetud, and co-opuraeting; thingz wil moov fastur and fastur tordz the subjugaeshun uv Naechur. In the end, wiezly and kerfuly we shal reujvst the baluns uv anumul and vejtubul lief tu soot our huemun needz.

'This ujvstmunt, I say, must hav bin dun, and dun wel; dun indeed for ol Tiem, in the spaes uv Tiem ucros wich my musheen had leept. The er wuz fre frum nats, the earth frum weedz or fvnji; evrywer wur froots and sweet and dilietful flourz; brilyunt bvturflyz flu hithur and thithur. The iedeul uv priventiv medusun wuz utaend. Dizeezuz had bin stampt out. I saw no evuduns uv eny cuntaejus dizeezuz dooring ol my stay. And I shal hav tu tel yu laetur that eevun the prosesuz uv puetrufacshun and dicay had bin prufoundly ufectud by theez chaenjuz.

'Soeshul triumfs, tu, had bin ifectud. I saw mankiend houzd in splendud shelturz, gloreusly cloethd, and az yet I had found them ingaejd in no toil. Ther wur no sienz uv strvgul, neethur soeshul nor ecunomicul strvgul. The shop, the advurtiezmunt, trafic, ol that comurs wich constutoots the body uv our wurld, wuz gon. It wuz nachurul on that goeldun eevning that I shood jump at the iedea uv a soeshul parrudies. The dificulty uv increesing popyulaeshun had bin met, I gest, and popyulaeshun had seest tu increes.

'But with this chaenj in cundishun cumz inevutubly adaptaeshunz tu the chaenj. Wot, unles biulojicul siuns iz a mas uv erurz, iz the coz uv huemun intelujuns and vigur? Hardship and freedum: cundishunz vndur wich the activ, strong, and svtul surviev and the weekur go tu the wol; cundishunz that poot a preemeum upon the loiul uliuns uv caepubul men, upon self-ristraent, paeshuns, and disizhun. And the instutooshun uv the famuly, and the imoeshunz that uriez therin, the firs jelusy, the tendurnus for ofspring, purentul self-divoeshun, ol found ther justufucaeshun and suport in the imununt daenjurz uv the yung. Now, wer ar theez imununt daenjurz? Ther iz a sentumunt uriezing, and it wil gro, ugenst cunoobeul jelusy, ugenst firs mutvrnuty, ugenst pashun uv ol sorts; unnesusery thingz now, and thingz that maek us uncvmfurtubul, savij survievulz, discordz in a rifiend and plezunt lief.

'I thot uv the fizicul slietnus uv the peepul, ther lak uv intelujuns, and thoez big ubvndunt ruunz, and it strengthund my bileef in a pvrfict conquest uv Naechur. For aftur the batul cumz Quiut. Huemanuty had bin strong, enurjetic, and intelujunt, and had uezd ol its ubvndunt vietaluty tu oltur the cundishunz vndur wich it livd. And now caem the reacshun uv the olturd cundishunz.

'Vndur the nu cundishunz uv pvrfict cvmfurt and sicyooruty, that restlus enurjy, that with us iz strength, wood bicvm weeknus. Eevun in our oen tiem svrtun tendunsyz and dizierz, wuns nesusery tu survievul, ar a constunt sors uv faelyur. Fizicul curij and the luv uv batul, for instuns, ar no graet help--may eevun be hindrunsuz--tu a sivuliezd man. And in a staet uv fizicul baluns and sicyooruty, pour, intulecchuul az wel az fizicul, wood be out uv plaes. For countlus yirz I jujd ther had bin no daenjur uv wor or solutery viuluns, no daenjur frum wield beests, no waesting dizeez tu riquier strength uv constutooshun, no need uv toil. For such a lief, wot we shood col the week ar az wel iquipt az the strong, ar indeed no longur week. Betur iquipt indeed thay ar, for the strong wood be fretud by an enurjy for wich ther wuz no outlet. No dout the exquizut buety uv the bildingz I saw wuz the outcum uv the last surjings uv the now pvrpuslus enurjy uv mankiend bifor it setuld doun intu pvrfict harmuny with the cundishunz vndur wich it livd--the flvrish uv that triumf wich bigan the last graet pees. This haz evur bin the faet uv enurjy in sicyooruty; it taekz tu art and tu irotusizum, and then cum langur and dicay.

'Eevun this artistic imputus wood at last dy uway--had olmoest died in the Tiem I saw. Tu udorn themselvz with flourz, tu dans, tu sing in the svnliet: so much wuz left uv the artistic spirut, and no mor. Eevun that wood faed in the end intu a cuntentud inactivuty. We ar kept keen on the griendstoen uv paen and nusesuty, and, it seemd tu me, that hir wuz that haetful griendstoen broekun at last!

'Az I stood ther in the gathuring dark I thot that in this simpul explunaeshun I had masturd the problum uv the wurld--masturd the hoel seecrut uv theez dilishus peepul. Posubly the chekz thay had diviezd for the incrys uv popyulaeshun had suxeedud tu wel, and ther nvmburz had rathur duminisht than kept staeshunery. That wood ucount for the ubandund ruunz. Very simpul wuz my explunaeshun, and plozubul invf--az moest rong theuryz ar!

V

'Az I stood ther muezing oevur this tu pvrfict triumf uv man, the ful moon, yelo and gibus*, caem up out uv an oevurflo uv silvur liet in the north-eest. The briet litul figyurz seest tu moov ubout bilo, a noizlus oul flitud by, and I shivurd with the chil uv the niet. I ditvrmund tu disend and fiend wer I cood sleep.

*gibus - gibbous - rounded

'I lookt for the bilding I nu. Then my ie travuld ulong tu the figyur uv the Wiet Sfinx upon the pedustul uv bronz, groing distinct az the liet uv the riezing moon gru brietur. I cood se the silvur burch ugenst it. Ther wuz the tangul uv roedudendrun booshuz, blak in the pael liet, and ther wuz the litul lon. I lookt at the lon ugen. A quir dout child my cumplaesunsy.

"No," sed I stoutly tu myself, "that wuz not the lon."

'But it wuz the lon. For the wiet leprus faes uv the sfinx wuz tordz it. Can yu imajun wot I felt az this cunvicshun caem hoem tu me? But yu canot. The Tiem Musheen wuz gon!

'At wuns, liek a lash ucros the faes, caem the posubiluty uv loozing my oen aej, uv being left helplus in this straenj nu wurld. The ber thot uv it wuz an acchuul fizicul sensaeshun. I cood feel it grip me at the throet and stop my breething. In unvthur moemunt I wuz in a pashun uv fir and rvning with graet leeping striedz doun the sloep. Wuns I fel hedlong and cut my faes; I lost no tiem in stonching the blud, but jumpt up and ran on, with a worm tricul doun my cheek and chin. Ol the tiem I ran I wuz saying tu myself: "Thay hav moovd it a litul, poosht it vndur the booshuz out uv the way." Nevurthules, I ran with ol my miet. Ol the tiem, with the svrtunty that svmtiemz cumz with exesiv dred, I nu that such ushooruns wuz foly, nu instinctivly that the musheen wuz rimoovd out uv my reech. My breth caem with paen. I supoez I cuvurd the hoel distuns frum the hil crest tu the litul lon, tu mielz purhaps, in ten minuts. And I am not a yung man. I curst uloud, az I ran, at my confudunt foly in leeving the musheen, waesting good breth therby. I cried uloud, and nun ansurd. Not a creechur seemd tu be stvring in that moonlit wurld.

'Wen I reecht the lon my wurst firz wur reuliezd. Not a traes uv the thing wuz tu be seen. I felt faent and coeld wen I faest the empty spaes umvng the blak tangul uv booshuz. I ran round it fyooreusly, az if the thing miet be hidun in a cornur, and then stopt ubrvptly, with my handz cluching my her. Ubuv me tourd the sfinx, upon the bronz pedustul, wiet, shiening, leprus, in the liet uv the riezing moon. It seemd tu smiel in mokury uv my dismay.

'I miet hav cunsoeld myself by imajuning the litul peepul had poot the mecunizum in sum sheltur for me, had I not felt ushoord uv ther fizicul and intulecchuul inadiquusy. That iz wot dismayd me: the sens uv sum hithurtu unsuspectud pour, thru hooz inturvenchun my invenchun had vanisht. Yet, for wun thing I felt ushoord: unles sum vthur aej had prudoost its exact dooplicut, the musheen cood not hav moovd in tiem. The utachmunt uv the levurz--I wil sho yu the methud laetur--priventud eny wun frum tampuring with it in that way wen thay wur rimoovd. It had moovd, and wuz hid, oenly in spaes. But then, wer cood it be?

'I think I must hav had a kiend uv frenzy. I rimembur rvning viuluntly in and out umvng the moonlit booshuz ol round the sfinx, and startling sum wiet anumul that, in the dim liet, I took for a smol dir. I rimembur, tu, laet that niet, beeting the booshuz with my clencht fist until my nvculz wur gasht and bleeding frum the broekun twigz. Then, sobing and raeving in my angwish uv miend, I went doun tu the graet bilding uv stoen. The big hol wuz dark, sielunt, and dizvrtud. I slipt on the uneevun flor, and fel oevur wun uv the malukiet taebulz, olmoest braeking my shin. I lit a mach and went on past the dvsty cvrtunz, uv wich I hav toeld yu.

'Ther I found a secund graet hol cuvurd with cooshunz, upon wich, purhaps, a scor or so uv the litul peepul wur sleeping. I hav no dout thay found my secund upiruns straenj invf, cuming svdunly out uv the quiut darknus with inarticyulut noizuz and the splvtur and fler uv a mach. For thay had furgotun ubout machuz. "Wer iz my Tiem Musheen?" I bigan, boling liek an angry chield, laying handz upon them and shaeking them up tugethur. It must hav bin very quir tu them. Sum laft, moest uv them lookt sorly frietund. Wen I saw them standing round me, it caem intu my hed that I wuz duing az foolish a thing az it wuz posubul for me tu du vndur the svrcumstansuz, in trying tu riviev the sensaeshun uv fir. For, reezuning frum ther dayliet bihaevyur, I thot that fir must be furgotun.

'Ubrvptly, I dasht doun the mach, and, noking wun uv the peepul oevur in my cors, went blvnduring ucros the big diening-hol ugen, out vndur the moonliet. I hurd criez uv terur and ther litul feet rvning and stvmbuling this way and that. I du not rimembur ol I did az the moon crept up the sky. I supoez it wuz the unexpectud naechur uv my los that madund me. I felt hoeplusly cut of frum my oen kiend--a straenj anumul in an unnoen wurld. I must hav raevd tu and fro, screeming and crying upon God and Faet. I hav a memry uv horubul futeeg, az the long niet uv disper wor uway; uv looking in this imposubul plaes and that; uv groeping umvng moon-lit ruunz and tvching straenj creechurz in the blak shadoez; at last, uv lying on the ground nir the sfinx and weeping with absuloot rechudnus. I had nvthing left but mizury. Then I slept, and wen I woek ugen it wuz ful day, and a cupul uv sparroez wur hoping round me on the turf within reech uv my arm.

'I sat up in the freshnus uv the morning, trying tu rimembur how I had got ther, and wy I had such a prufound sens uv dizvrshun and disper. Then thingz caem clir in my miend. With the plaen, reezunubul dayliet, I cood look my svrcumstansuz ferly in the faes. I saw the wield foly uv my frenzy oevurniet, and I cood reezun with myself. "Supoez the wurst?" I sed. "Supoez the musheen oltugethur lost--purhaps distroyd? It bihoovz me tu be com and paeshunt, tu lurn the way uv the peepul, tu get a clir iedea uv the methud uv my los, and the meenz uv geting mutireulz and toolz; so that in the end, purhaps, I may maek unvthur." That wood be my oenly hoep, purhaps, but betur than disper. And, aftur ol, it wuz a buetuful and cyooreus wurld.

'But probubly, the musheen had oenly bin taekun uway. Stil, I must be com and paeshunt, fiend its hieding-plaes, and ricuvur it by fors or cvning. And with that I scrambuld tu my feet and lookt ubout me, wvnduring wer I cood baeth. I felt wiry, stif, and travul-soild. The freshnus uv the morning maed me dizier an eequul freshnus. I had exostud my imoeshun. Indeed, az I went ubout my biznus, I found myself wvnduring at my intens exietmunt oevurniet. I maed a kerful examunaeshun uv the ground ubout the litul lon. I waestud sum tiem in fuetul queschuningz, cunvayd, az wel az I wuz aebul, tu such uv the litul peepul az caem by. Thay ol faeld tu undurstand my jeschurz; sum wur simply stolud, sum thot it wuz a jest and laft at me. I had the hardust task in the wurld tu keep my handz of ther prity lafing faesuz. It wuz a foolish impuls, but the devul bigotun uv fir and bliend angur wuz il curbd and stil eegur tu taek udvantij uv my purplexuty. The turf gaev betur counsul. I found a groov ript in it, ubout midway bitween the pedustul uv the sfinx and the markz uv my feet wer, on urievul, I had strvguld with the oevurturnd musheen. Ther wur vthur sienz uv rimoovul ubout, with quir narro footprints liek thoez I cood imajun maed by a sloth. This durectud my cloesur utenchun tu the pedustul. It wuz, az I think I hav sed, uv bronz. It wuz not a mir blok, but hiely decuraetud with deep fraemd panulz on eethur sied. I went and rapt at theez. The pedustul wuz holo. Examuning the panulz with ker I found them discuntinueus with the fraemz. Ther wur no handulz or keehoelz, but posubly the panulz, if thay wur dorz, az I supoezd, oepund frum within. Wun thing wuz clir invf tu my miend. It took no very graet mentul efurt tu infvr that my Tiem Musheen wuz insied that pedustul. But how it got ther wuz a difrunt problum.

'I saw the hedz uv tu orinj-clad peepul cuming thru the booshuz and vndur sum blosum-cuvurd apul-treez tordz me. I turnd smieling tu them and becund them tu me. Thay caem, and then, pointing tu the bronz pedustul, I tried tu intumaet my wish tu oepun it. But at my furst jeschur tordz this thay bihaevd very odly. I doent no how tu cunvay ther expreshun tu yu. Supoez yu wur tu uez a groesly impropur jeschur tu a delicut-miendud woomun--it iz how she wood look. Thay went of az if thay had riseevd the last posubul insult. I tried a sweet-looking litul chap in wiet next, with exacly the saem rizvlt. Svmhow, hiz manur maed me feel ushaemd uv myself. But, az yu no, I wontud the Tiem Musheen, and I tried him wuns mor. Az he turnd of, liek the vthurz, my tempur got the betur uv me. In thre striedz I wuz aftur him, had him by the loos part uv hiz roeb round the nek, and bigan draging him tordz the sfinx. Then I saw the horur and ripvgnuns uv hiz faes, and ol uv a svdun I let him go.

'But I wuz not beetun yet. I bangd with my fist at the bronz panulz. I thot I hurd svmthing stur insied--tu be explisut, I thot I hurd a sound liek a chvcul--but I must hav bin mistaekun. Then I got a big pebul frum the rivur, and caem and hamurd til I had flatund a coil in the decuraeshunz, and the vurdugrys caem of in poudury flaekz. The delicut litul peepul must hav hurd me hamuring in gvsty outbraekz a miel uway on eethur hand, but nvthing caem uv it. I saw a croud uv them upon the sloeps, looking fvrtivly at me. At last, hot and tierd, I sat doun tu woch the plaes. But I wuz tu restlus tu woch long; I am tu Oxudentul for a long vijul. I cood wurk at a problum for yirz, but tu waet inactiv for twenty-for ourz--that iz unvthur matur.

'I got up aftur a tiem, and bigan woking aemlusly thru the booshuz tordz the hil ugen. "Paeshuns," sed I tu myself. "If yu wont yoor musheen ugen yu must leev that sfinx uloen. If thay meen tu taek yoor musheen uway, it's litul good yoor reking ther bronz panulz, and if thay doent, yu wil get it bak az soon az yu can ask for it. Tu sit umvng ol thoez unnoen thingz bifor a pvzul liek that iz hoeplus. That way liez monumaenea. Faes this wurld. Lurn its wayz, woch it, be kerful uv tu haesty gesuz at its meening. In the end yu wil fiend clooz tu it ol." Then svdunly the huemur uv the sichuaeshun caem intu my miend: the thot uv the yirz I had spent in stvdy and toil tu get intu the fuechur aej, and now my pashun uv angziuty tu get out uv it. I had maed myself the moest complucaetud and the moest hoeplus trap that evur a man diviezd. Oltho it wuz at my oen expens, I cood not help myself. I laft uloud.

'Going thru the big palus, it seemd tu me that the litul peepul uvoidud me. It may hav bin my fansy, or it may hav had svmthing tu du with my hamuring at the gaets uv bronz. Yet I felt tolurubly shoor uv the uvoiduns. I wuz kerful, howevur, tu sho no cunsvrn and tu ubstaen frum eny pursoot uv them, and in the cors uv a day or tu thingz got bak tu the oeld footing. I maed wot progrus I cood in the langwij, and in udishun I poosht my expluraeshunz hir and ther. Eethur I mist sum svtul point or ther langwij wuz exesivly simpul--olmoest excloosivly cumpoezd uv concryt svbstuntivz and vurbz. Ther seemd tu be fue, if eny, abstract turmz, or litul ues uv figyurutiv langwij. Ther sentunsuz wur uezhuuly simpul and uv tu wurdz, and I faeld tu cunvay or undurstand eny but the simpulust propuzishunz. I ditvrmund tu poot the thot uv my Tiem Musheen and the mistury uv the bronz dorz vndur the sfinx az much az posubul in a cornur uv memry, until my groing nolij wood leed me bak tu them in a nachurul way. Yet a svrtun feeling, yu may undurstand, tethurd me in a svrcul uv a fue mielz round the point uv my urievul.

'So far az I cood se, ol the wurld displayd the saem exooburunt richnus az the Thames valy. Frum evry hil I cliemd I saw the saem ubvnduns uv splendud bildingz, endlusly veryd in mutireul and stiel, the saem clvsturing thicuts uv evurgreenz, the saem blosum-laedun treez and tre-furnz. Hir and ther wotur shoen liek silvur, and beond, the land roez intu blu vnjulaeting hilz, and so faedud intu the surenuty uv the sky. A picuelyur feechur, wich prezuntly utractud my utenchun, wuz the prezuns uv svrtun svrcyulur welz, sevurul, az it seemd tu me, uv a very graet depth. Wun lay by the path up the hil, wich I had foloed dooring my furst wok. Liek the vthurz, it wuz rimd with bronz, cyooreusly rot, and prutectud by a litul cuepula frum the raen. Siting by the sied uv theez welz, and piring doun intu the shaftud darknus, I cood se no gleem uv wotur, nor cood I start eny riflecshun with a lietud mach. But in ol uv them I hurd a svrtun sound: a thud--thud--thud, liek the beeting uv sum big enjun; and I discuvurd, frum the flering uv my machuz, that a stedy cvrunt uv er set doun the shafts. Fvrthur, I thru a scrap uv paepur intu the throet uv wun, and, insted uv flvturing sloely doun, it wuz at wuns sukd swiftly out uv siet.

'Aftur a tiem, tu, I caem tu cunect theez welz with tol tourz standing hir and ther upon the sloeps; for ubuv them ther wuz ofun just such a flikur in the er az wun seez on a hot day ubuv a sun-scorcht beech. Puting thingz tugethur, I reecht a strong sugjeschun uv an extensiv sistum uv subturaeneun ventulaeshun, hooz tru import it wuz dificult tu imajun. I wuz at furst incliend tu usoesheaet it with the sanutery apuratus uv theez peepul. It wuz an obveus cuncloozhun, but it wuz absulootly rong.

'And hir I must udmit that I lurnd very litul uv draenz and belz and moedz uv cunvayuns, and the liek cunveenyunsuz, dooring my tiem in this reel fuechur. In sum uv theez vizhunz uv Uetoepeaz and cuming tiemz wich I hav red, ther iz a vast umount uv ditael ubout bilding, and soeshul uraenjmunts, and so forth. But wiel such deetaelz ar eezy invf tu ubtaen wen the hoel wurld iz cuntaend in wun'z imajunaeshun, thay ar oltugethur inuxesubul tu a reel travulur umid such realutyz az I found hir. Cunseev the tael uv London wich a Negro, fresh frum Sentrul Africa, wood taek bak tu hiz trieb! Wot wood he no uv raelway cvmpunyz, uv soeshul moovmunts, uv telufoen and telugraf wierz, uv the Parsulz Dilivury Cvmpuny, and poestul ordurz and the liek? Yet we, at leest, shood be wiling invf tu explaen theez thingz tu him! And eevun uv wot he nu, how much cood he maek hiz untravuld frend eethur apruhend or bileev? Then, think how narro the gap bitween a Negro and a wiet man uv our oen tiemz, and how wied the inturvul bitween myself and theez uv the Goeldun Aej! I wuz sensubul uv much wich wuz unseen, and wich cuntribuetud tu my cvmfurt; but saev for a jenurul impreshun uv otumatic orgunuzaeshun, I fir I can cunvay very litul uv the difruns tu yoor miend.

'In the matur uv sepulcur, for instuns, I cood se no sienz uv crymutorea nor enything sugjestiv uv toomz. But it ucvrd tu me that, posubly, ther miet be semuteryz (or crymutorea) svmwer beond the raenj uv my exploringz. This, ugen, wuz a queschun I diliburutly poot tu myself, and my cyooreosuty wuz at furst intierly difeetud upon the point. The thing pvzuld me, and I wuz led tu maek a fvrthur rimark, wich pvzuld me stil mor: that aejd and infvrm umvng this peepul ther wur nun.

'I must cunfes that my satusfacshun with my furst theuryz uv an otumatic sivuluzaeshun and a decudunt huemanuty did not long indoor. Yet I cood think uv no vthur. Let me poot my dificultyz. The sevurul big palusuz I had explord wur mir living plaesuz, graet diening-holz and sleeping upartmunts. I cood fiend no musheenury, no upliunsuz uv eny kiend. Yet theez peepul wur cloethd in plezunt fabrics that must at tiemz need rinuul, and ther sandulz, tho undecuraetud, wur ferly complex spesumunz uv metulwurk. Svmhow such thingz must be maed. And the litul peepul displayd no vestij uv a creaetiv tendunsy. Ther wur no shops, no wvrkshops, no sien uv importaeshunz umvng them. Thay spent ol ther tiem in playing jently, in baething in the rivur, in maeking luv in a haf-playful fashun, in eeting froot and sleeping. I cood not se how thingz wur kept going.

'Then, ugen, ubout the Tiem Musheen: svmthing, I nu not wot, had taekun it intu the holo pedustul uv the Wiet Sfinx. Wy? For the lief uv me I cood not imajun. Thoez woturlus welz, tu, thoez flikuring pilurz. I felt I lakd a clu. I felt--how shal I poot it? Supoez yu found an inscripshun, with sentunsuz hir and ther in exulunt plaen English, and inturpulaetud therwith, vthurz maed up uv wurdz, uv leturz eevun, absulootly unnoen tu yu? Wel, on the thurd day uv my vizut, that wuz how the wurld uv Aet Hvndrud and Tu Thouzund Sevun Hvndrud and Wun prizentud itself tu me!

'That day, tu, I maed a frend--uv a sort. It hapund that, az I wuz woching sum uv the litul peepul baething in a shalo, wun uv them wuz seezd with cramp and bigan drifting dounstreem. The maen cvrunt ran rathur swiftly, but not tu strongly for eevun a modurut swimur. It wil giv yu an iedea, therfor, uv the straenj difishunsy in theez creechurz, wen I tel yu that nun maed the slietust utempt tu rescue the weekly crying litul thing wich wuz drouning bifor ther iez. Wen I reuliezd this, I hvrydly slipt of my cloez, and, wadeing in at a point loeur doun, I cot the poor miet and dru hur saef tu land. A litul rubing uv the limz soon brot hur round, and I had the satusfacshun uv seing she wuz ol riet bifor I left hur. I had got tu such a lo estumut uv hur kiend that I did not expect eny gratutood frum hur. In that, howevur, I wuz rong.

'This hapund in the morning. In the afturnoon I met my litul woomun, az I bileev it wuz, az I wuz ritvrning tordz my sentur frum an expluraeshun, and she riseevd me with criez uv diliet and prizentud me with a big garlund uv flourz--evuduntly maed for me and me uloen. The thing took my imajunaeshun. Very posubly I had bin feeling desulut. At eny raet I did my best tu display my uprysheaeshun uv the gift. We wur soon seetud tugethur in a litul stoen arbur, ingaejd in convursaeshun, cheefly uv smielz. The creechur'z frendlynus ufectud me exacly az a chield'z miet hav dun. We past eech vthur flourz, and she kist my handz. I did the saem tu hurz. Then I tried tok, and found that hur naem wuz Weena, wich, tho I doent no wot it ment, svmhow seemd uproepreut invf. That wuz the bigining uv a quir frendship wich lastud a week, and endud--az I wil tel yu!

'She wuz exacly liek a chield. She wontud tu be with me olwaez. She tried tu folo me evrywer, and on my next jvrny out and ubout it went tu my hart tu tier hur doun, and leev hur at last, exostud and coling aftur me rathur plaentivly. But the problumz uv the wurld had tu be masturd. I had not, I sed tu myself, cum intu the fuechur tu carry on a mineuchur flurtaeshun. Yet hur distres wen I left hur wuz very graet, hur exposchulaeshunz at the parting wur svmtiemz frantic, and I think, oltugethur, I had az much trvbul az cvmfurt frum hur divoeshun. Nevurthules she wuz, svmhow, a very graet cvmfurt. I thot it wuz mir chieldish ufecshun that maed hur cling tu me. Until it wuz tu laet, I did not clirly no wot I had inflictud upon hur wen I left hur. Nor until it wuz tu laet did I clirly undurstand wot she wuz tu me. For, by mirly seeming fond uv me, and shoing in hur week, fuetul way that she kerd for me, the litul dol uv a creechur prezuntly gaev my ritvrn tu the naeburhood uv the Wiet Sfinx olmoest the feeling uv cuming hoem; and I wood woch for hur tieny figyur uv wiet and goeld so soon az I caem oevur the hil.

'It wuz frum hur, tu, that I lurnd that fir had not yet left the wurld. She wuz firlus invf in the dayliet, and she had the odust confuduns in me; for wuns, in a foolish moemunt, I maed thretuning grimusuz at hur, and she simply laft at them. But she dredud the dark, dredud shadoez, dredud blak thingz. Darknus tu hur wuz the wun thing dredful. It wuz a singyulurly pashunut imoeshun, and it set me thinking and ubzvrving. I discuvurd then, umvng vthur thingz, that theez litul peepul gathurd intu the graet houzuz aftur dark, and slept in droevz. Tu entur upon them without a liet wuz tu poot them intu a toomult uv apruhenchun. I nevur found wun out uv dorz, or wun sleeping uloen within dorz, aftur dark. Yet I wuz stil such a blokhed that I mist the lesun uv that fir, and in spiet uv Weena'z distres I insistud upon sleeping uway frum theez slvmburing multutoodz.

'It trvbuld hur graetly, but in the end hur od ufecshun for me triumft, and for fiev uv the niets uv our uquaentuns, inclooding the last niet uv ol, she slept with hur hed piloed on my arm. But my story slips uway frum me az I speek uv hur. It must hav bin the niet bifor hur rescue that I wuz uwaekund ubout don. I had bin restlus, dreeming moest disugreubly that I wuz dround, and that se unemunyz wur feeling oevur my faes with ther soft palps.* I woek with a start, and with an od fansy that sum grayish anumul had just rusht out uv the chaembur. I tried tu get tu sleep ugen, but I felt restlus and uncvmfurtubul. It wuz that dim gray our wen thingz ar just creeping out uv darknus, wen evrything iz cvlurlus and clir cut, and yet unreel. I got up, and went doun intu the graet hol, and so out upon the flagstoenz in frunt uv the palus. I thot I wood maek a vurchu uv nusesuty, and se the svnriez.

*palps - palp - an elongated sensory organ, usually near the mouth.

'The moon wuz seting, and the dying moonliet and the furst palur uv don wur minguld in a gastly haf-liet. The booshuz wur inky blak, the ground a sombur gray, the sky cvlurlus and chirlus. And up the hil I thot I cood se goests. Ther sevurul tiemz, az I scand the sloep, I saw wiet figyurz. Twies I fansyd I saw a solutery wiet, aep-liek creechur rvning rathur quikly up the hil, and wuns nir the ruunz I saw a leesh uv them carrying sum dark body. Thay moovd haestuly. I did not se wot bicaem uv them. It seemd that thay vanisht umvng the booshuz. The don wuz stil indistinct, yu must undurstand. I wuz feeling that chil, unsvrtun, vrly-morning feeling yu may hav noen. I doutud my iez.

'Az the eesturn sky gru brietur, and the liet uv the day caem on and its vivud cvluring ritvrnd upon the wurld wuns mor, I scand the vue keenly. But I saw no vestij uv my wiet figyurz. Thay wur mir creechurz uv the haf liet. "Thay must hav bin goests," I sed; "I wvndur wens thay daetud." For a quir noeshun uv Grant Allen'z caem intu my hed, and umuezd me. If eech jenuraeshun dy and leev goests, he argued, the wurld at last wil get oevurcroudud with them. On that theury thay wood hav groen inoomurubul sum Aet Hvndrud Thouzund Yirz hens, and it wuz no graet wvndur tu se for at wuns. But the jest wuz unsatusfiing, and I wuz thinking uv theez figyurz ol the morning, until Weena'z rescue droev them out uv my hed. I usoesheaetud them in sum indefunut way with the wiet anumul I had startuld in my furst pashunut surch for the Tiem Musheen. But Weena wuz a plezunt svbstutoot. Yet ol the saem, thay wur soon destund tu taek far dedleur puzeshun uv my miend.

'I think I hav sed how much hotur than our oen wuz the wethur uv this Goeldun Aej. I canot ucount for it. It may be that the sun wuz hotur, or the Earth nirur the sun. It iz uezhuul tu usoom that the sun wil go on cooling steduly in the fuechur. But peepul, unfumilyur with such specyulaeshunz az thoez uv the yungur Darwin, furget that the planuts must vltumutly fol bak wun by wun intu the perunt body. Az theez cutastrufyz ucvr, the sun wil blaez with rinood enurjy; and it may be that sum inur planut had svfurd this faet. Wotevur the reezun, the fact rimaenz that the sun wuz very much hotur than we no it.

'Wel, wun very hot morning--my forth, I think--az I wuz seeking sheltur frum the heet and gler in a culosul ruun nir the graet hous wer I slept and fed, ther hapund this straenj thing:

Clamburing umvng theez heeps uv maesunry, I found a narro galury, hooz end and sied windoez wur blokd by folun masuz uv stoen. By contrast with the brilyunsy outsied, it seemd at furst impenutrubly dark tu me. I enturd it groeping, for the chaenj frum liet tu blaknus maed spots uv cvlur swim bifor me. Svdunly I holtud spelbound. A per uv iez, loomunus by riflecshun ugenst the dayliet without, wuz woching me out uv the darknus.

'The oeld instinctiv dred uv wield beests caem upon me. I clencht my handz and stedfastly lookt intu the glering iebolz. I wuz ufraed tu turn. Then the thot uv the absuloot sicyooruty in wich huemanuty upird tu be living caem tu my miend. And then I rimemburd that straenj terur uv the dark. Oevurcuming my fir tu sum extent, I udvanst a step and spoek. I wil udmit that my vois wuz harsh and il-cuntroeld. I poot out my hand and tucht svmthing soft. At wuns the iez dartud siedwaez, and svmthing wiet ran past me. I turnd with my hart in my mouth, and saw a quir litul aep-liek figyur, its hed held doun in a picuelyur manur, rvning ucros the svnlit spaes bihiend me. It blvndurd ugenst a blok uv granut, stagurd usied, and in a moemunt wuz hidun in a blak shado bineeth unvthur piel uv ruund maesunry.

'My impreshun uv it iz, uv cors, impvrfict; but I no it wuz a dul wiet, and had straenj larj grayish-red iez; olso that ther wuz flaxun her on its hed and doun its bak. But, az I say, it went tu fast for me tu se distinctly. I canot eevun say wethur it ran on ol-forz, or oenly with its forarmz held very lo. Aftur an instunt's poz I foloed it intu the secund heep uv ruunz. I cood not fiend it at furst; but, aftur a tiem in the prufound ubscyooruty, I caem upon wun uv thoez round wel-liek oepuningz uv wich I hav toeld yu, haf cloezd by a folun pilur. A svdun thot caem tu me. Cood this Thing hav vanisht doun the shaft? I lit a mach, and, looking doun, I saw a smol, wiet, mooving creechur, with larj briet iez wich rigardud me stedfastly az it ritreetud. It maed me shvdur. It wuz so liek a huemun spiedur! It wuz clamburing doun the wol, and now I saw for the furst tiem a nvmbur uv metul foot and hand rests forming a kiend uv ladur doun the shaft. Then the liet burnd my fingurz and fel out uv my hand, going out az it dropt, and wen I had lit unvthur the litul monstur had disupird.

'I du not no how long I sat piring doun that wel. It wuz not for sum tiem that I cood suxeed in purswaeding myself that the thing I had seen wuz huemun. But, grajuuly, the trooth dond on me: that Man had not rimaend wun speeshyz, but had difurencheaetud intu tu distinct anumulz: that my graesful childrun uv the Vpur-wurld wur not the soel disendunts uv our jenuraeshun, but that this bleecht, ubseen, nocturnul Thing, wich had flasht bifor me, wuz olso er tu ol the aejuz.

'I thot uv the flikuring pilurz and uv my theury uv an vndurground ventulaeshun. I bigan tu suspect ther tru import. And wot, I wvndurd, wuz this Leemur duing in my skeem uv a pvrfictly balunst orgunuzaeshun? How wuz it rilaetud tu the indulunt surenuty uv the buetuful Vpur-wvrldurz? And wot wuz hidun doun ther, at the foot uv that shaft? I sat upon the ej uv the wel teling myself that, at eny raet, ther wuz nvthing tu fir, and that ther I must disend for the sulooshun uv my dificultyz. And withol I wuz absulootly ufraed tu go! Az I hezutaetud, tu uv the buetuful Vpur-wurld peepul caem rvning in ther amurus sport ucros the dayliet in the shado. The mael pursood the feemael, flinging flourz at hur az he ran.

'Thay seemd distrest tu fiend me, my arm ugenst the oevurturnd pilur, piring doun the wel. Uparruntly it wuz cunsidurd bad form tu rimark theez apurchurz; for wen I pointud tu this wun, and tried tu fraem a queschun ubout it in ther tung, thay wur stil mor vizubly distrest and turnd uway. But thay wur inturustud by my machuz, and I struk sum tu umuez them. I tried them ugen ubout the wel, and ugen I faeld. So prezuntly I left them, meening tu go bak tu Weena, and se wot I cood get frum hur. But my miend wuz olredy in revulooshun; my gesuz and impreshunz wur sliping and slieding tu a nu ujvstmunt. I had now a clu tu the import uv theez welz, tu the ventulaeting tourz, tu the mistury uv the goests; tu say nvthing uv a hint at the meening uv the bronz gaets and the faet uv the Tiem Musheen! And very vaegly ther caem a sugjeschun tordz the sulooshun uv the ecunomic problum that had pvzuld me.

'Hir wuz the nu vue. Plaenly, this secund speeshyz uv Man wuz subturaeneun. Ther wur thre svrcumstansuz in purticyulur wich maed me think that its rer imvrjuns ubuv ground wuz the outcum uv a long-cuntinued vndurground habut. In the furst plaes, ther wuz the bleecht look comun in moest anumulz that liv larjly in the dark--the wiet fish uv the Kentucky caevz, for instuns. Then, thoez larj iez, with that cupasuty for riflecting liet, ar comun feechurz uv nocturnul thingz--witnus the oul and the cat. And last uv ol, that evudunt cunfuezhun in the svnshien, that haesty yet fvmbuling okwurd fliet tordz dark shado, and that picuelyur carrij uv the hed wiel in the liet--ol reinforst the theury uv an extreem sensutivnus uv the retuna.

'Bineeth my feet, then, the urth must be tvnuld inormusly, and theez tvnulingz wur the habutat uv the nu raes. The prezuns uv ventulaeting shafts and welz ulong the hil sloeps--evrywer, in fact, exept ulong the rivur valy--shoed how uenuvursul wur its ramufucaeshunz. Wot so nachurul, then, az tu usoom that it wuz in this artufishul Vndurwurld that such wurk az wuz nesusery tu the cvmfurt uv the dayliet raes wuz dun? The noeshun wuz so plozubul that I at wuns axeptud it, and went on tu usoom the how uv this spliting uv the huemun speeshyz. I der say yu wil antisupaet the shaep uv my theury; tho, for myself, I very soon felt that it fel far short uv the trooth.

'At furst, proeseeding frum the problumz uv our oen aej, it seemd clir az dayliet tu me that the grajuul wieduning uv the prezunt mirly tempurery and soeshul difruns bitween the Caputulist and the Laeburur, wuz the ke tu the hoel puzishun. No dout it wil seem groetesk invf tu yu--and wieldly incredubul!--and yet eevun now ther ar existing svrcumstansuz tu point that way. Ther iz a tendunsy tu uetuliez vndurground spaes for the les ornumentul pvrpusuz uv sivuluzaeshun; ther iz the Metrupolutun Raelway in London, for instuns, ther ar nu ilectric raelwayz, ther ar svbwaiez, ther ar vndurground wurkroomz and resturunts, and thay increes and multupli. Evuduntly, I thot, this tendunsy had increest til Industry had grajuuly lost its bvrthriet in the sky. I meen that it had gon deepur and deepur intu larjur and evur larjur vndurground facturyz, spending a stil-increesing umount uv its tiem therin, til, in the end--! Eevun now, duz not an eest-end wvrkur liv in such artufishul cundishunz az practicly tu be cut of frum the nachurul svrfus uv the Earth?

'Ugen, the excloosiv tendunsy uv richur peepul--du, no dout, tu the increesing rifienmunt uv ther ejucaeshun, and the wieduning gulf bitween them and the rood viuluns uv the poor--iz olredy leeding tu the cloezing, in ther inturust, uv cunsidurubul porshunz uv the svrfus uv the land. Ubout London, for instuns, purhaps haf the priteur cuntry iz shut in ugenst introozhun. And this saem wieduning gulf--wich iz du tu the length and expens uv the hyur ejucaeshunul proses and the increest fusilutyz for and temptaeshunz tordz rifiend habuts on the part uv the rich--wil maek that exchaenj bitween clas and clas, that prumoeshun by inturmarrij wich at prezunt ritardz the spliting uv our speeshyz ulong lienz uv soeshul stratufucaeshun, les and les freequunt. So, in the end, ubuv ground yu must hav the Havz, pursuing plezhur and cvmfurt and buety, and bilo ground the Hav-nots, the Wvrkurz geting cuntinueuly udaptud tu the cundishunz uv ther laebur. Wuns thay wur ther, thay wood no dout hav tu pay rent, and not a litul uv it, for the ventulaeshun uv ther cavurnz; and if thay rifuezd, thay wood starv or be svfucaetud for urirz. Such uv them az wur so constutootud az tu be mizurubul and ribelyus wood dy; and, in the end, the baluns being pvrmununt, the survievurz wood bicvm az wel udaptud tu the cundishunz uv vndurground lief, and az hapy in ther way, az the Vpur-wurld peepul wur tu therz. Az it seemd tu me, the rifiend buety and the eeteulaetud* palur foloed nachuruly invf.

*eeteulaetud - etiolat - keep out of sunlight to affect coloring. Blanch, whiten.

'The graet triumf uv Huemanuty I had dreemd uv took a difrunt shaep in my miend. It had bin no such triumf uv morul ejucaeshun and jenurul coopuraeshun az I had imajund. Insted, I saw a reel arrustocrusy, armd with a purfectud siuns and wvrking tu a lojicul cuncloozhun the indvstreul sistum uv tu-day. Its triumf had not bin simply a triumf oevur Naechur, but a triumf oevur Naechur and the felo-man. This, I must worn yu, wuz my theury at the tiem. I had no cunveenyunt sisuroeny* in the paturn uv the Uetoepeun books. My explunaeshun may be absulootly rong. I stil think it iz the moest plozubul wun. But eevun on this supuzishun the balunst sivuluzaeshun that wuz at last utaend must hav long sins past its zeenuth, and wuz now far folun intu dicay. The tu-pvrfict sicyooruty uv the Vpur-wvrldurz had led them tu a slo moovmunt uv dijenuraeshun, tu a jenurul dwindling in siez, strength, and intelujuns. That I cood se clirly invf olredy. Wot had hapund tu the Vndur-groundurz I did not yet suspect; but frum wot I had seen uv the Morlocks--that, by the by, wuz the naem by wich theez creechurz wur cold--I cood imajun that the modufucaeshun uv the huemun tiep wuz eevun far mor prufound than umvng the "Eloi," the buetuful raes that I olredy nu.

*sisuroeny - cicerone - guide

'Then caem trvbulsum douts. Wy had the Morlocks taekun my Tiem Musheen? For I felt shoor it wuz thay hu had taekun it. Wy, tu, if the Eloi wur masturz, cood thay not ristor the musheen tu me? And wy wur thay so terubly ufraed uv the dark? I proeseedud, az I hav sed, tu queschun Weena ubout this Vndur-wurld, but hir ugen I wuz disupointud. At furst she wood not undurstand my queschunz, and prezuntly she rifuezd tu ansur them. She shivurd az tho the topic wuz unindoorubul. And wen I prest hur, purhaps a litul harshly, she burst intu tirz. Thay wur the oenly tirz, exept my oen, I evur saw in that Goeldun Aej. Wen I saw them I seest ubrvptly tu trvbul ubout the Morlocks, and wuz oenly cunsvrnd in banishing theez sienz uv the huemun inherutuns frum Weena'z iez. And very soon she wuz smieling and claping hur handz, wiel I solumly burnd a mach.

VI

'It may seem od tu yu, but it wuz tu dayz bifor I cood folo up the nu-found clu in wot wuz manufestly the propur way. I felt a picuelyur shrinking frum thoez palud bodyz. Thay wur just the haf-bleecht cvlur uv the wurmz and thingz wun seez prizvrvd in spirut in a zoulojicul muezeum. And thay wur filthuly coeld tu the tuch. Probubly my shrinking wuz larjly du tu the simputhetic influuns uv the Eloi, hooz disgvst uv the Morlocks I now bigan tu upreesheaet.

'The next niet I did not sleep wel. Probubly my helth wuz a litul disordurd. I wuz uprest with purplexuty and dout. Wuns or twies I had a feeling uv intens fir for wich I cood purseev no defunut reezun. I rimembur creeping noizlusly intu the graet hol wer the litul peepul wur sleeping in the moonliet--that niet Weena wuz umvng them--and feeling reushoord by ther prezuns. It ucvrd tu me eevun then, that in the cors uv a fue dayz the moon must pas thru its last quortur, and the niets gro dark, wen the upirunsuz uv theez unplezunt creechurz frum bilo, theez wietund Leemurz, this nu vurmun that had riplaest the oeld, miet be mor ubvndunt. And on boeth theez dayz I had the restlus feeling uv wun hu shurkz an inevutubul dooty. I felt ushoord that the Tiem Musheen wuz oenly tu be ricuvurd by boeldly penutraeting theez vndurground misturyz. Yet I cood not faes the mistury. If oenly I had had a cumpanyun it wood hav bin difrunt. But I wuz so horubly uloen, and eevun tu clambur doun intu the darknus uv the wel upold me. I doent no if yu wil undurstand my feeling, but I nevur felt quiet saef at my bak.

'It wuz this restlusnus, this insicyooruty, purhaps, that droev me fvrthur and fvrthur ufeeld in my exploring expudishunz. Going tu the south-westwurd tordz the riezing cuntry that iz now cold Combe Wood, I ubzvrvd far of, in the durecshun uv nienteenth-senchury Banstead, a vast green strvcchur, difrunt in carructur frum eny I had hithurtu seen. It wuz larjur than the larjust uv the palusuz or ruunz I nu, and the fusod had an Oriental look: the faes uv it having the lvstur, az wel az the pael-green tint, a kiend uv bluish-green, uv a svrtun tiep uv Chinese porsulun. This difruns in aspect sugjestud a difruns in ues, and I wuz miendud tu poosh on and explor. But the day wuz groing laet, and I had cum upon the siet uv the plaes aftur a long and tiering svrcut; so I rizolvd tu hoeld oevur the udvenchur for the foloing day, and I ritvrnd tu the welcum and the curesuz uv litul Weena. But next morning I purseevd clirly invf that my cyooreosuty rigarding the Palus uv Green Porsulun wuz a pees uv self-disepshun, tu inaebul me tu shurk, by unvthur day, an expireuns I dredud. I rizolvd I wood maek the disent without fvrthur waest uv tiem, and startud out in the vrly morning tordz a wel nir the ruunz uv granut and uloomunum.

'Litul Weena ran with me. She danst bisied me tu the wel, but wen she saw me leen oevur the mouth and look dounwurd, she seemd straenjly discunsvrtud. "Good-by, litul Weena," I sed, kising hur; and then puting hur doun, I bigan tu feel oevur the parruput for the clieming hookz. Rathur haestuly, I may az wel cunfes, for I fird my curij miet leek uway! At furst she wocht me in umaezmunt. Then she gaev a moest piteus cry, and rvning tu me, she bigan tu pul at me with hur litul handz. I think hur opuzishun nurvd me rathur tu proeseed. I shook hur of, purhaps a litul rvfly, and in unvthur moemunt I wuz in the throet uv the wel. I saw hur aguniezd faes oevur the parruput, and smield tu reushoor hur. Then I had tu look doun at the unstaebul hookz tu wich I clung.

'I had tu clambur doun a shaft uv purhaps tu hvndrud yardz. The disent wuz ifectud by meenz uv mutalic barz prujecting frum the siedz uv the wel, and theez being udaptud tu the needz uv a creechur much smolur and lietur than myself, I wuz speeduly crampt and futeegd by the disent. And not simply futeegd! Wun uv the barz bent svdunly vndur my waet, and olmoest swung me of intu the blaknus bineeth. For a moemunt I hung by wun hand, and aftur that expireuns I did not der tu rest ugen. Tho my armz and bak wur prezuntly ucuetly paenful, I went on clamburing doun the shir disent with az quik a moeshun az posubul. Glansing vpwurd, I saw the apurchur, a smol blu disk, in wich a star wuz vizubul, wiel litul Weena'z hed shoed az a round blak prujecshun. The thuding sound uv a musheen bilo gru loudur and mor upresiv. Evrything saev that litul disk ubuv wuz prufoundly dark, and wen I lookt up ugen Weena had disupird.

'I wuz in an aguny uv discvmfurt. I had sum thot uv trying tu go up the shaft ugen, and leev the Vndur-wurld uloen. But eevun wiel I turnd this oevur in my miend I cuntinued tu disend. At last, with intens rileef, I saw dimly cuming up, a foot tu the riet uv me, a slendur loophoel in the wol. Swinging myself in, I found it wuz the apurchur uv a narro horuzontul tvnul in wich I cood ly doun and rest. It wuz not tu soon. My armz aekd, my bak wuz crampt, and I wuz trembuling with the prulongd terur uv a fol. Bisiedz this, the unbroekun darknus had had a distresing ifect upon my iez. The er wuz ful uv the throb and hum uv musheenury pumping er doun the shaft.

'I du not no how long I lay. I wuz rouzd by a soft hand tvching my faes. Starting up in the darknus I snacht at my machuz and, haestuly strieking wun, I saw thre stooping wiet creechurz simulur tu the wun I had seen ubuv ground in the ruun, haestuly ritreeting bifor the liet. Living, az thay did, in wot upird tu me impenutrubul darknus, ther iez wur abnormuly larj and sensutiv, just az ar the puepulz uv the ubizmul fishuz, and thay riflectud the liet in the saem way. I hav no dout thay cood se me in that raylus ubscyooruty, and thay did not seem tu hav eny fir uv me upart frum the liet. But, so soon az I struk a mach in ordur tu se them, thay fled incontununtly, vanishing intu dark gvturz and tvnulz, frum wich ther iez glerd at me in the straenjust fashun.

'I tried tu col tu them, but the langwij thay had wuz uparruntly difrunt frum that uv the Oevur-wurld peepul; so that I wuz needz left tu my oen unaedud efurts, and the thot uv fliet bifor expluraeshun wuz eevun then in my miend. But I sed tu myself, "Yu ar in for it now," and, feeling my way ulong the tvnul, I found the noiz uv musheenury gro loudur. Prezuntly the wolz fel uway frum me, and I caem tu a larj oepun spaes, and strieking unvthur mach, saw that I had enturd a vast archt cavurn, wich strecht intu vtur darknus beond the raenj uv my liet. The vue I had uv it wuz az much az wun cood se in the bvrning uv a mach.

'Nesuseruly my memry iz vaeg. Graet shaeps liek big musheenz roez out uv the dimnus, and cast groetesk blak shadoez, in wich dim spectrul Morlocks shelturd frum the gler. The plaes, by the by, wuz very stvfy and upresiv, and the faent halutus* uv freshly shed blud wuz in the er. Sum way doun the sentrul vista wuz a litul taebul uv wiet metul, laed with wot seemd a meel. The Morlocks at eny raet wur carnivurus! Eevun at the tiem, I rimembur wvnduring wot larj anumul cood hav survievd tu fvrnish the red joint I saw. It wuz ol very indistinct: the hevy smel, the big unmeening shaeps, the ubseen figyurz lurking in the shadoez, and oenly waeting for the darknus tu cum at me ugen! Then the mach burnd doun, and stung my fingurz, and fel, a riguling red spot in the blaknus.

*halutus - halitus - odor?

'I hav thot sins how purticyulurly il-iquipt I wuz for such an expireuns. Wen I had startud with the Tiem Musheen, I had startud with the ubsvrd usumpshun that the men uv the Fuechur wood svrtunly be infunutly uhed uv ourselvz in ol ther upliunsuz. I had cum without armz, without medusun, without enything tu smoek--at tiemz I mist tubaco frietfuly--eevun without invf machuz. If oenly I had thot uv a Kodak! I cood hav flasht that glimps uv the Vndurwurld in a secund, and examund it at leezhur. But, az it wuz, I stood ther with oenly the wepunz and the pourz that Naechur had indowd me with--handz, feet, and teeth; theez, and for saefty-machuz that stil rimaend tu me.

'I wuz ufraed tu poosh my way in umvng ol this musheenury in the dark, and it wuz oenly with my last glimps uv liet I discuvurd that my stor uv machuz had run lo. It had nevur ucvrd tu me until that moemunt that ther wuz eny need tu iconumiez them, and I had waestud olmoest haf the box in ustonishing the Vpur-wvrldurz, tu hoom fier wuz a novulty. Now, az I say, I had for left, and wiel I stood in the dark, a hand tucht mien, lank fingurz caem feeling oevur my faes, and I wuz sensubul uv a picuelyur unplezunt oedur. I fansyd I hurd the breething uv a croud uv thoez dredful litul beingz ubout me. I felt the box uv machuz in my hand being jently disingaejd, and vthur handz bihiend me pluking at my cloething. The sens uv theez unseen creechurz examuning me wuz indiscriebubly unplezunt. The svdun reuluzaeshun uv my ignuruns uv ther wayz uv thinking and duing caem hoem tu me very vivudly in the darknus. I shoutud at them az loudly az I cood. Thay startud uway, and then I cood feel them uproeching me ugen. Thay clucht at me mor boeldly, wispuring od soundz tu eech vthur. I shivurd viuluntly, and shoutud ugen--rathur discorduntly. This tiem thay wur not so sireusly ularmd, and thay maed a quir lafing noiz az thay caem bak at me. I wil cunfes I wuz horubly frietund. I ditvrmund tu striek unvthur mach and iscaep vndur the prutecshun uv its gler. I did so, and eeking out the flikur with a scrap uv paepur frum my pocut, I maed good my ritreet tu the narro tvnul. But I had skers enturd this wen my liet wuz bloen out and in the blaknus I cood hir the Morlocks rvsuling liek wind umvng leevz, and paturing liek the raen, az thay hvryd aftur me.

'In a moemunt I wuz clucht by sevurul handz, and ther wuz no mistaeking that thay wur trying tu hol me bak. I struk unvthur liet, and waevd it in ther dazuld faesuz. Yu can skers imajun how nozeaetingly inhuemun thay lookt--thoez pael, chinlus faesuz and graet, lidlus, pinkish-gray iez!--az thay sterd in ther bliendnus and biwildurmunt. But I did not stay tu look, I promus yu: I ritreetud ugen, and wen my secund mach had endud, I struk my thurd. It had olmoest burnd thru wen I reecht the oepuning intu the shaft. I lay doun on the ej, for the throb uv the graet pump bilo maed me gidy. Then I felt siedwaez for the prujecting hookz, and, az I did so, my feet wur graspt frum bihiend, and I wuz viuluntly tugd bakwurd. I lit my last mach ... and it incontununtly went out. But I had my hand on the clieming barz now, and, kiking viuluntly, I disingaejd myself frum the clvchuz uv the Morlocks and wuz speeduly clamburing up the shaft, wiel thay stayd piring and blinking up at me: ol but wun litul rech hu foloed me for sum way, and wel-ny sicyoord my boot az a troefy.

'That cliem seemd intvrmunubul tu me. With the last twenty or thvrty feet uv it a dedly nozea caem upon me. I had the graetust dificulty in keeping my hoeld. The last fue yardz wuz a frietful strvgul ugenst this faentnus. Sevurul tiemz my hed swam, and I felt ol the sensaeshunz uv foling. At last, howevur, I got oevur the wel-mouth svmhow, and stagurd out uv the ruun intu the bliending svnliet. I fel upon my faes. Eevun the soil smelt sweet and cleen. Then I rimembur Weena kising my handz and irz, and the voisuz uv vthurz umvng the Eloi. Then, for a tiem, I wuz insensubul.

VII

'Now, indeed, I seemd in a wurs caes than bifor. Hithurtu, exept dooring my niet's angwish at the los uv the Tiem Musheen, I had felt a sustaening hoep uv vltumut iscaep, but that hoep wuz stagurd by theez nu discuvuryz. Hithurtu I had mirly thot myself impeedud by the chieldish simplisuty uv the litul peepul, and by sum unnoen forsuz wich I had oenly tu undurstand tu oevurcum; but ther wuz an oltugethur nu elumunt in the sikuning quoluty uv the Morlocks--a svmthing inhuemun and mulien. Instinctivly I loethd them. Bifor, I had felt az a man miet feel hu had folun intu a pit: my cunsvrn wuz with the pit and how tu get out uv it. Now I felt liek a beest in a trap, hooz enumy wood cum upon him soon.

'The enumy I dredud may surpriez yu. It wuz the darknus uv the nu moon. Weena had poot this intu my hed by sum at furst incomprihensubul rimarkz ubout the Dark Niets. It wuz not now such a very dificult problum tu ges wot the cuming Dark Niets miet meen. The moon wuz on the waen: eech niet ther wuz a longur inturvul uv darknus. And I now undurstood tu sum sliet digree at leest the reezun uv the fir uv the litul Vpur-wurld peepul for the dark. I wvndurd vaegly wot foul viluny it miet be that the Morlocks did vndur the nu moon. I felt prity shoor now that my secund hiepothusus wuz ol rong. The Vpur-wurld peepul miet wuns hav bin the faevurd arrustocrusy, and the Morlocks ther mucanicul svrvunts: but that had long sins past uway. The tu speeshyz that had rizvltud frum the evulooshun uv man wur slieding doun tordz, or had olredy urievd at, an oltugethur nu rilaeshunship. The Eloi, liek the Carolingian kingz, had dicayd tu a mir buetuful fuetiluty. Thay stil puzest the Earth on svfuruns: sins the Morlocks, subturaeneun for inoomurubul jenuraeshunz, had cum at last tu fiend the daylit svrfus intolurubul. And the Morlocks maed ther garmunts, I infvrd, and maentaend them in ther hubichuul needz, purhaps thru the survievul uv an oeld habut uv svrvus. Thay did it az a standing hors pawz with hiz foot, or az a man injoyz kiling anumulz in sport: bicoz aenchunt and dipartud nusesutyz had imprest it on the orgunizum. But, clirly, the oeld ordur wuz olredy in part rivurst. The Nemusus uv the delicut wunz wuz creeping on upaes. Aejuz ugo, thouzundz uv jenuraeshunz ugo, man had thrust hiz brvthur man out uv the eez and the svnshien. And now that brvthur wuz cuming bak chaenjd! Olredy the Eloi had bigvn tu lurn wun oeld lesun unu. Thay wur bicvming reuquaentud with Fir. And svdunly ther caem intu my hed the memry uv the meet I had seen in the Vndur-wurld. It seemd od how it floetud intu my miend: not sturd up az it wur by the cvrunt uv my medutaeshunz, but cuming in olmoest liek a queschun frum outsied. I tried tu ricol the form uv it. I had a vaeg sens uv svmthing fumilyur, but I cood not tel wot it wuz at the tiem.

'Stil, howevur helplus the litul peepul in the prezuns uv ther mistireus Fir, I wuz difruntly constutootud. I caem out uv this aej uv ourz, this riep priem uv the huemun raes, wen Fir duz not parruliez and mistury haz lost its terurz. I at leest wood difend myself. Without fvrthur dilay I ditvrmund tu maek myself armz and a fastnus wer I miet sleep. With that refuej az a baes, I cood faes this straenj wurld with sum uv that confuduns I had lost in reuliezing tu wot creechurz niet by niet I lay expoezd. I felt I cood nevur sleep ugen until my bed wuz sicyoor frum them. I shvdurd with horur tu think how thay must olredy hav examund me.

'I wondurd dooring the afturnoon ulong the valy uv the Thames, but found nvthing that cumendud itself tu my miend az inucsesubul. Ol the bildingz and treez seemd eezuly practicubul tu such dexturus cliemurz az the Morlocks, tu juj by ther welz, must be. Then the tol pinuculz uv the Palus uv Green Porsulun and the polisht gleem uv its wolz caem bak tu my memry; and in the eevning, taeking Weena liek a chield upon my shoeldur, I went up the hilz tordz the south-west. The distuns, I had recund, wuz sevun or aet mielz, but it must hav bin nirur aeteen. I had furst seen the plaes on a moist afturnoon wen distunsuz ar diseptivly duminisht. In udishun, the heel uv wun uv my shooz wuz loos, and a nael wuz wvrking thru the soel--thay wur cvmfurtubul oeld shooz I wor ubout indorz--so that I wuz laem. And it wuz olredy long past svnset wen I caem in siet uv the palus, siluetud blak ugenst the pael yelo uv the sky.

'Weena had bin huejly dilietud wen I bigan tu carry hur, but aftur a wiel she dizierd me tu let hur doun, and ran ulong by the sied uv me, ucaezhunuly darting of on eethur hand tu pik flourz tu stik in my pocuts. My pocuts had olwaez pvzuld Weena, but at the last she had cuncloodud that thay wur an exentric kiend uv vaes for florul decuraeshun. At leest she uetuliezd them for that pvrpus. And that rimiendz me! In chaenjing my jacut I found...'

The Tiem Travulur pozd, poot hiz hand intu hiz pocut, and sieluntly plaest tu withurd flourz, not unliek very larj wiet maloez, upon the litul taebul. Then he rizoomd hiz narrutiv.

'Az the hush uv eevning crept oevur the wurld and we proeseedud oevur the hil crest tordz Wimbledon, Weena gru tierd and wontud tu ritvrn tu the hous uv gray stoen. But I pointud out the distunt pinuculz uv the Palus uv Green Porsulun tu hur, and cuntrievd tu maek hur undurstand that we wur seeking a refuej ther frum hur Fir. Yu no that graet poz that cumz upon thingz bifor the dusk? Eevun the breez stops in the treez. Tu me ther iz olwaez an er uv expectaeshun ubout that eevning stilnus. The sky wuz clir, rimoet, and empty saev for a fue horuzontul barz far doun in the svnset. Wel, that niet the expectaeshun took the cvlur uv my firz. In that darkling com my sensuz seemd pryturnachuruly sharpund. I fansyd I cood eevun feel the holoenus uv the ground bineeth my feet: cood, indeed, olmoest se thru it the Morlocks on ther ant-hil going hithur and thithur and waeting for the dark. In my exietmunt I fansyd that thay wood riseev my invaezhun uv ther bvroez az a decluraeshun uv wor. And wy had thay taekun my Tiem Musheen?

'So we went on in the quiut, and the twieliet deepund intu niet. The clir blu uv the distuns faedud, and wun star aftur unvthur caem out. The ground gru dim and the treez blak. Weena'z firz and hur futeeg gru upon hur. I took hur in my armz and tokd tu hur and curest hur. Then, az the darknus gru deepur, she poot hur armz round my nek, and, cloezing hur iez, tietly prest hur faes ugenst my shoeldur. So we went doun a long sloep intu a valy, and ther in the dimnus I olmoest wokd intu a litul rivur. This I waedud, and went up the opuzut sied uv the valy, past a nvmbur uv sleeping houzuz, and by a stachu--a Fon, or sum such figyur, mienus the hed. Hir tu wur ucaeshaz. So far I had seen nvthing uv the Morlocks, but it wuz yet vrly in the niet, and the darkur ourz bifor the oeld moon roez wur stil tu cum.

'Frum the brow uv the next hil I saw a thik wood spreding wied and blak bifor me. I hezutaetud at this. I cood se no end tu it, eethur tu the riet or the left. Feeling tierd--my feet, in purticyulur, wur very sor--I kerfuly loeurd Weena frum my shoeldur az I holtud, and sat doun upon the turf. I cood no longur se the Palus uv Green Porsulun, and I wuz in dout uv my durecshun. I lookt intu the thiknus uv the wood and thot uv wot it miet hied. Vndur that dens tangul uv branchuz wun wood be out uv siet uv the starz. Eevun wur ther no vthur lurking daenjur--a daenjur I did not ker tu let my imajunaeshun loos upon--ther wood stil be ol the roots tu stvmbul oevur and the tre-boelz tu striek ugenst.

'I wuz very tierd, tu, aftur the exietmunts uv the day; so I disiedud that I wood not faes it, but wood pas the niet upon the oepun hil.

'Weena, I wuz glad tu fiend, wuz fast usleep. I kerfuly rapt hur in my jacut, and sat doun bisied hur tu waet for the moonriez. The hil-sied wuz quiut and dizvrtud, but frum the blak uv the wood ther caem now and then a stur uv living thingz. Ubuv me shoen the starz, for the niet wuz very clir. I felt a svrtun sens uv frendly cvmfurt in ther twincling. Ol the oeld constulaeshunz had gon frum the sky, howevur: that slo moovmunt wich iz impurseptubul in a hvndrud huemun lieftiemz, had long sins reuraenjd them in unfumilyur groopingz. But the Milky Way, it seemd tu me, wuz stil the saem taturd streemur uv star-dust az uv yor. Southwurd (az I jujd it) wuz a very briet red star that wuz nu tu me; it wuz eevun mor splendud than our oen green Sirius. And umid ol theez sintulaeting points uv liet wun briet planut shoen kiendly and steduly liek the faes uv an oeld frend.

'Looking at theez starz svdunly dworft my oen trvbulz and ol the gravutyz uv turestreul lief. I thot uv ther unfathumubul distuns, and the slo inevutubul drift uv ther moovmunts out uv the unnoen past intu the unnoen fuechur. I thot uv the graet pruseshunul siecul that the poel uv the Earth discriebz. Oenly forty tiemz had that sielunt revulooshun ucvrd dooring ol the yirz that I had truvurst. And dooring theez fue revulooshunz ol the activuty, ol the trudishunz, the complex orgunuzaeshunz, the naeshunz, langwijuz, lituruchurz, aspuraeshunz, eevun the mir memry uv Man az I nu him, had bin swept out uv existuns. Insted wur theez frael creechurz hu had furgotun ther hy ansestry, and the wiet Thingz uv wich I went in terur. Then I thot uv the Graet Fir that wuz bitween the tu speeshyz, and for the furst tiem, with a svdun shivur, caem the clir nolij uv wot the meet I had seen miet be. Yet it wuz tu horubul! I lookt at litul Weena sleeping bisied me, hur faes wiet and starliek vndur the starz, and forthwith dismist the thot.

'Thru that long niet I held my miend of the Morlocks az wel az I cood, and wield uway the tiem by trying tu fansy I cood fiend sienz uv the oeld constulaeshunz in the nu cunfuezhun. The sky kept very clir, exept for a haezy cloud or so. No dout I doezd at tiemz. Then, az my vijul wor on, caem a faentnus in the eestwurd sky, liek the riflecshun uv sum cvlurlus fier, and the oeld moon roez, thin and peecud and wiet. And cloes bihiend, and oevurtaeking it, and oevurfloing it, the don caem, pael at furst, and then groing pink and worm. No Morlocks had uproecht us. Indeed, I had seen nun upon the hil that niet. And in the confuduns uv rinood day it olmoest seemd tu me that my fir had bin unreezunubul. I stood up and found my foot with the loos heel swoelun at the ancul and paenful vndur the heel; so I sat doun ugen, took of my shooz, and flung them uway.

'I uwaekund Weena, and we went doun intu the wood, now green and plezunt insted uv blak and furbiding. We found sum froot werwith tu braek our fast. We soon met vthurz uv the daenty wunz, lafing and dansing in the svnliet az tho ther wuz no such thing in naechur az the niet. And then I thot wuns mor uv the meet that I had seen. I felt ushoord now uv wot it wuz, and frum the botum uv my hart I pityd this last feebul ril frum the graet flud uv huemanuty. Clirly, at sum tiem in the Long-ugo uv huemun dicay the Morlocks' food had run short. Posubly thay had livd on rats and such-liek vurmun. Eevun now man iz far les discrimunaeting and excloosiv in hiz food than he wuz--far les than eny mvnky. Hiz prejudus ugenst huemun flesh iz no deep-seetud instinct. And so theez inhuemun sunz uv men----! I tried tu look at the thing in a siuntific spirut. Aftur ol, thay wur les huemun and mor rimoet than our canubul ansesturz uv thre or for thouzund yirz ugo. And the intelujuns that wood hav maed this staet uv thingz a torment had gon. Wy shood I trvbul myself? Theez Eloi wur mir fatud catul, wich the ant-liek Morlocks prizvrvd and prayd upon--probubly saw tu the breeding uv. And ther wuz Weena dansing at my sied!

'Then I tried tu prizvrv myself frum the horur that wuz cuming upon me, by rigarding it az a rigurus pvnishmunt uv huemun selfishnus. Man had bin cuntent tu liv in eez and diliet upon the laeburz uv hiz felo-man, had taekun Nusesuty az hiz wochwurd and excues, and in the fvlnus uv tiem Nusesuty had cum hoem tu him. I eevun tried a Carlyle-liek scorn uv this rechud arrustocrusy in dicay. But this atutood uv miend wuz imposubul. Howevur graet ther intulecchuul degrudaeshun, the Eloi had kept tu much uv the huemun form not tu claem my simputhy, and tu maek me purfors a sherur in ther degrudaeshun and ther Fir.

'I had at that tiem very vaeg iedeaz az tu the cors I shood pursu. My furst wuz tu sicyoor sum saef plaes uv refuej, and tu maek myself such armz uv metul or stoen az I cood cuntriev. That nusesuty wuz imeedeut. In the next plaes, I hoept tu prucyoor sum meenz uv fier, so that I shood hav the wepun uv a torch at hand, for nvthing, I nu, wood be mor ifishunt ugenst theez Morlocks. Then I wontud tu uraenj sum cuntrievuns tu braek oepun the dorz uv bronz vndur the Wiet Sfinx. I had in miend a baturing ram. I had a purswaezhun that if I cood entur thoez dorz and carry a blaez uv liet bifor me I shood discuvur the Tiem Musheen and iscaep. I cood not imajun the Morlocks wur strong invf tu moov it far uway. Weena I had rizolvd tu bring with me tu our oen tiem. And turning such skeemz oevur in my miend I pursood our way tordz the bilding wich my fansy had choezun az our dweling.

VIII

'I found the Palus uv Green Porsulun, wen we uproecht it ubout noon, dizvrtud and foling intu ruun. Oenly ragud vestijuz uv glas rimaend in its windoez, and graet sheets uv the green faesing had folun uway frum the curoedud mutalic fraemwurk. It lay very hy upon a tvrfy doun, and looking north-eestwurd bifor I enturd it, I wuz surpriezd tu se a larj eschuery, or eevun creek, wer I jujd Wandsworth and Battersea must wuns hav bin. I thot then--tho I nevur foloed up the thot--uv wot miet hav hapund, or miet be hapuning, tu the living thingz in the se.

'The mutireul uv the Palus proovd on examunaeshun tu be indeed porsulun, and ulong the faes uv it I saw an inscripshun in sum unnoen carructur. I thot, rathur foolishly, that Weena miet help me tu inturprut this, but I oenly lurnd that the ber iedea uv rieting had nevur enturd hur hed. She olwaez seemd tu me, I fansy, mor huemun than she wuz, purhaps bicoz hur ufecshun wuz so huemun.

'Within the big valvz uv the dor--wich wur oepun and broekun--we found, insted uv the cvstumery hol, a long galury lit by meny sied windoez. At the furst glans I wuz rimiendud uv a muezeum. The tield flor wuz thik with dust, and a rimarkubul uray uv misulaeneus objicts wuz shroudud in the saem gray cuvuring. Then I purseevd, standing straenj and gont in the sentur uv the hol, wot wuz clirly the loeur part uv a huej skelutun. I recugniezd by the oebleek feet that it wuz sum extinct creechur aftur the fashun uv the Megatherium. The scul and the vpur boenz lay bisied it in the thik dust, and in wun plaes, wer raen-wotur had dropt thru a leek in the roof, the thing itself had bin worn uway. Fvrthur in the galury wuz the huej skelutun barrul uv a Brontusorus. My muezeum hiepothusus wuz cunfvrmd. Going tordz the sied I found wot upird tu be sloeping shelvz, and cliring uway the thik dust, I found the oeld fumilyur glas caesuz uv our oen tiem. But thay must hav bin er-tiet tu juj frum the fer prezurvaeshun uv sum uv ther contents.

'Clirly we stood umvng the ruunz uv sum latur-day South Kensington! Hir, uparruntly, wuz the Palaeontological Secshun, and a very splendud uray uv fosulz it must hav bin, tho the inevutubul proses uv dicay that had bin staevd of for a tiem, and had, thru the extincshun uv bactirea and fvnji, lost nienty-nien hvndrudths uv its fors, wuz nevurthules, with extreem shoornus if with extreem sloenus at wurk ugen upon ol its trezhurz. Hir and ther I found traesuz uv the litul peepul in the shaep uv rer fosulz broekun tu peesuz or thredud in stringz upon reedz. And the caesuz had in sum instunsuz bin boduly rimoovd--by the Morlocks az I jujd. The plaes wuz very sielunt. The thik dust dedund our footsteps. Weena, hu had bin roeling a se vrchun doun the sloeping glas uv a caes, prezuntly caem, az I sterd ubout me, and very quiutly took my hand and stood bisied me.

'And at furst I wuz so much surpriezd by this aenchunt monyumunt uv an intulecchuul aej, that I gaev no thot tu the posubilutyz it prizentud. Eevun my preocyupaeshun ubout the Tiem Musheen riseedud a litul frum my miend.

'Tu juj frum the siez uv the plaes, this Palus uv Green Porsulun had a graet deel mor in it than a Galury uv Palaeontology; posubly historicul galuryz; it miet be, eevun a liebrery! Tu me, at leest in my prezunt svrcumstansuz, theez wood be vastly mor inturusting than this spectucul uv oeldtiem jeolujy in dicay. Exploring, I found unvthur short galury rvning transvursly tu the furst. This upird tu be divoetud tu minurulz, and the siet uv a blok uv svlfur set my miend rvning on gvnpoudur. But I cood fiend no soltpeetur; indeed, no nietraets uv eny kiend. Doutlus thay had deluquesd* aejuz ugo. Yet the svlfur hung in my miend, and set up a traen uv thinking. Az for the rest uv the contents uv that galury, tho on the hoel thay wur the best prizvrvd uv ol I saw, I had litul inturust. I am no speshulist in minurolujy, and I went on doun a very ruunus iel rvning parrulel tu the furst hol I had enturd. Uparruntly this secshun had bin divoetud tu nachurul histury, but evrything had long sins past out uv recugnishun. A fue shrivuld and blakund vestijuz uv wot had wuns bin stuft anumulz, desicaetud mvmiez in jarz that had wuns held spirut, a broun dust uv dipartud plants: that wuz ol! I wuz sary for that, bicoz I shood hav bin glad tu traes the patunt reujvstmunts by wich the conquest uv anumaetud naechur had bin utaend. Then we caem tu a galury uv simply culosul pruporshunz, but singyulurly il-lit, the flor uv it rvning dounwurd at a sliet angul frum the end at wich I enturd. At inturvulz wiet globz hung frum the seeling--meny uv them crakt and smasht--wich sugjestud that urijunuly the plaes had bin artufishuly lit. Hir I wuz mor in my elumunt, for riezing on eethur sied uv me wur the huej bulkz uv big musheenz, ol graetly curoedud and meny broekun doun, but sum stil ferly cumpleet. Yu no I hav a svrtun weeknus for mecunizum, and I wuz incliend tu lingur umvng theez; the mor so az for the moest part thay had the inturust uv pvzulz, and I cood maek oenly the vaegust gesuz at wot thay wur for. I fansyd that if I cood solv ther pvzulz I shood fiend myself in puzeshun uv pourz that miet be uv ues ugenstthe Morlocks.

*deluquesd - deliquesced - disappeared

'Svdunly Weena caem very cloes tu my sied. So svdunly that she startuld me. Had it not bin for hur I du not think I shood hav noetust that the flor uv the galury sloept at ol. [Footnoet: It may be, uv cors, that the flor did not sloep, but that the muezeum wuz bilt intu the sied uv a hil. --ED.] The end I had cum in at wuz quiet ubuv ground, and wuz lit by rer slit-liek windoez. Az yu went doun the length, the ground caem up ugenst theez windoez, until at last ther wuz a pit liek the "erea" uv a London hous bifor eech, and oenly a narro lien uv dayliet at the top. I went sloely ulong, pvzuling ubout the musheenz, and had bin tu intent upon them tu noetus the grajuul dimunooshun uv the liet, until Weena'z increesing apruhenchunz dru my utenchun. Then I saw that the galury ran doun at last intu a thik darknus. I hezutaetud, and then, az I lookt round me, I saw that the dust wuz les ubvndunt and its svrfus les eevun. Fvrthur uway tordz the dimnus, it upird tu be broekun by a nvmbur uv smol narro footprints. My sens uv the imeedeut prezuns uv the Morlocks rivievd at that. I felt that I wuz waesting my tiem in the acudemic examunaeshun uv musheenury. I cold tu miend that it wuz olredy far udvanst in the afturnoon, and that I had stil no wepun, no refuej, and no meenz uv maeking a fier. And then doun in the rimoet blaknus uv the galury I hurd a picuelyur paturing, and the saem od noizuz I had hurd doun the wel.

'I took Weena'z hand. Then, struk with a svdun iedea, I left hur and turnd tu a musheen frum wich prujectud a levur not unliek thoez in a signul-box. Clamburing upon the stand, and grasping this levur in my handz, I poot ol my waet upon it siedwaez. Svdunly Weena, dizvrtud in the sentrul iel, bigan tu wimpur. I had jujd the strength uv the levur prity curectly, for it snapt aftur a minut's straen, and I ryjoind hur with a maes in my hand mor than sufishunt, I jujd, for eny Morlock scul I miet incountur. And I longd very much tu kil a Morlock or so. Very inhuemun, yu may think, tu wont tu go kiling wun'z oen disendunts! But it wuz imposubul, svmhow, tu feel eny huemanuty in the thingz. Oenly my disinclunaeshun tu leev Weena, and a purswaezhun that if I bigan tu slaek my thurst for mvrdur my Tiem Musheen miet svfur, ristraend me frum going straet doun the galury and kiling the broots I hurd.

'Wel, maes in wun hand and Weena in the vthur, I went out uv that galury and intu unvthur and stil larjur wun, wich at the furst glans rimiendud me uv a milutery chapul hung with taturd flagz. The broun and chard ragz that hung frum the siedz uv it, I prezuntly recugniezd az the dicaying vestijuz uv books. Thay had long sins dropt tu peesuz, and evry sembluns uv print had left them. But hir and ther wur worpt bordz and crakt mutalic clasps that toeld the tael wel invf. Had I bin a liturery man I miet, purhaps, hav moruliezd upon the fuetiluty uv ol ambishun. But az it wuz, the thing that struk me with keenust fors wuz the inormus waest uv laebur tu wich this sombur wildurnus uv roting paepur testufied. At the tiem I wil cunfes that I thot cheefly uv the Filusoficul Transacshunz and my oen sevunteen paepurz upon fizicul optics.

'Then, going up a brod stercaes, we caem tu wot may wuns hav bin a galury uv tecnicul kemistry. And hir I had not a litul hoep uv uesful discuvuryz. Exept at wun end wer the roof had culapst, this galury wuz wel prizvrvd. I went eegurly tu evry unbroekun caes. And at last, in wun uv the reely er-tiet caesuz, I found a box uv machuz. Very eegurly I tried them. Thay wur pvrfictly good. Thay wur not eevun damp. I turnd tu Weena. "Dans," I cried tu hur in hur oen tung. For now I had a wepun indeed ugenst the horubul creechurz we fird. And so, in that derulict muezeum, upon the thik soft carputing uv dust, tu Weena'z huej diliet, I solumly purformd a kiend uv cumpozut dans, wisuling The Land uv the Leal az chirfuly az I cood. In part it wuz a modust cancan, in part a step dans, in part a scurt-dans (so far az my tael-coet purmitud), and in part urijunul. For I am nachuruly inventiv, az yu no.

'Now, I stil think that for this box uv machuz tu hav iscaept the wer uv tiem for imumoreul yirz wuz a moest straenj, az for me it wuz a moest forchunut thing. Yet, odly invf, I found a far unliekleur svbstuns, and that wuz camfur. I found it in a seeld jar, that by chans, I supoez, had bin reely hurmeticly seeld. I fansyd at furst that it wuz parrufun wax, and smasht the glas ucordingly. But the oedur uv camfur wuz unmistaekubul. In the uenuvursul dicay this volutul svbstuns had chanst tu surviev, purhaps thru meny thouzundz uv senchuryz. It rimiendud me uv a seepea paenting I had wuns seen dun frum the ink uv a fosul Belemnite that must hav perisht and bicvm fosuliezd milyunz uv yirz ugo. I wuz ubout tu thro it uway, but I rimemburd that it wuz inflamubul and burnd with a good briet flaem--wuz, in fact, an exulunt candul--and I poot it in my pocut. I found no exploesivz, howevur, nor eny meenz uv braeking doun the bronz dorz. Az yet my iern croebar wuz the moest helpful thing I had chanst upon. Nevurthules I left that galury graetly ilaetud.

'I canot tel yu ol the story uv that long afturnoon. It wood riquier a graet efurt uv memry tu ricol my expluraeshunz in at ol the propur ordur. I rimembur a long galury uv rusting standz uv armz, and how I hezutaetud bitween my croebar and a hachut or a sord. I cood not carry boeth, howevur, and my bar uv iern promust best ugenst the bronz gaets. Ther wur nvmburz uv gunz, pistulz, and riefulz. The moest wur masuz uv rust, but meny wur uv sum nu metul, and stil ferly sound. But eny cartrijuz or poudur ther may wuns hav bin had rotud intu dust. Wun cornur I saw wuz chard and shaturd; purhaps, I thot, by an exploezhun umvng the spesumunz. In unvthur plaes wuz a vast uray uv iedulz--Polynesian, Mexican, Grecian, Phoenician, evry cuntry on Earth I shood think.

And hir, yeelding tu an irizistubul impuls, I roet my naem upon the noez uv a steutiet* monstur frum South America that purticyulurly took my fansy.

*steutiet - steatite - soapstone

'Az the eevning dru on, my inturust waend. I went thru galury aftur galury, dvsty, sielunt, ofun ruunus, the exibuts svmtiemz mir heeps uv rust and ligniet, svmtiemz freshur. In wun plaes I svdunly found myself nir the modul uv a tin-mien, and then by the mirust axudunt I discuvurd, in an er-tiet caes, tu dienumiet cartrijuz! I shoutud "Yooreeca!" and smasht the caes with joy. Then caem a dout. I hezutaetud. Then, sulecting a litul sied galury, I maed my esay. I nevur felt such a disupointmunt az I did in waeting fiev, ten, fifteen minuts for an exploezhun that nevur caem. Uv cors the thingz wur dvmiez, az I miet hav gest frum ther prezuns. I reely bileev that had thay not bin so, I shood hav rusht of incontununtly and bloen Sfinx, bronz dorz, and (az it proovd) my chansuz uv fiending the Tiem Musheen, ol tugethur intu non-existuns.

'It wuz aftur that, I think, that we caem tu a litul oepun cort within the palus. It wuz turft, and had thre froot-treez. So we restud and rifresht ourselvz. Tordz svnset I bigan tu cunsidur our puzishun. Niet wuz creeping upon us, and my inucsesubul hieding-plaes had stil tu be found. But that trvbuld me very litul now. I had in my puzeshun a thing that wuz, purhaps, the best uv ol difensuz ugenst the Morlocks--I had machuz! I had the camfur in my pocut, tu, if a blaez wur needud. It seemd tu me that the best thing we cood du wood be tu pas the niet in the oepun, prutectud by a fier. In the morning ther wuz the geting uv the Tiem Musheen. Tordz that, az yet, I had oenly my iern maes. But now, with my groing nolij, I felt very difruntly tordz thoez bronz dorz. Up tu this, I had rifraend frum forsing them, larjly bicoz uv the mistury on the vthur sied. Thay had nevur imprest me az being very strong, and I hoept tu fiend my bar uv iern not oltugethur inadiquut for the wurk.

IX

'We imvrjd frum the palus wiel the sun wuz stil in part ubuv the huriezun. I wuz ditvrmund tu reech the Wiet Sfinx vrly the next morning, and er the dusk I pvrpust pooshing thru the woodz that had stopt me on the preeveus jvrny. My plan wuz tu go az far az posubul that niet, and then, bilding a fier, tu sleep in the prutecshun uv its gler. Ucordingly, az we went ulong I gathurd eny stiks or dried gras I saw, and prezuntly had my armz ful uv such litur. Thus loedud, our progrus wuz slour than I had antisupaetud, and bisiedz Weena wuz tierd. And I bigan tu svfur frum sleepynus tu; so that it wuz ful niet bifor we reecht the wood. Upon the shrvby hil uv its ej Weena wood hav stopt, firing the darknus bifor us; but a singyulur sens uv impending culamuty, that shood indeed hav survd me az a worning, droev me onwurd. I had bin without sleep for a niet and tu dayz, and I wuz feevurish and irutubul. I felt sleep cuming upon me, and the Morlocks with it.

'Wiel we hezutaetud, umvng the blak booshuz bihiend us, and dim ugenst ther blaknus, I saw thre crouching figyurz. Ther wuz scrub and long gras ol ubout us, and I did not feel saef frum ther insideus uproech. The forust, I calcyulaetud, wuz rathur les than a miel ucros. If we cood get thru it tu the ber hil-sied, ther, az it seemd tu me, wuz an oltugethur saefur resting-plaes; I thot that with my machuz and my camfur I cood cuntriev tu keep my path iloomunaetud thru the woodz. Yet it wuz evudunt that if I wuz tu flvrish machuz with my handz I shood hav tu ubandun my fierwood; so, rathur rilvctuntly, I poot it doun. And then it caem intu my hed that I wood umaez our frendz bihiend by lieting it. I wuz tu discuvur the utroeshus foly uv this proeseeding, but it caem tu my miend az an injeenyus moov for cuvuring our ritreet.

'I doent no if yu hav evur thot wot a rer thing flaem must be in the absuns uv man and in a tempurut cliemut. The sun'z heet iz rerly strong invf tu burn, eevun wen it iz foecust by doodrops, az iz svmtiemz the caes in mor tropicul districts. Lietning may blast and blakun, but it rerly givz riez tu wiedspred fier. Dicaying vejutaeshun may ucaezhunuly smoeldur with the heet uv its furmuntaeshun, but this rerly rizvlts in flaem. In this decuduns, tu, the art uv fier-maeking had bin furgotun on the Earth. The red tungz that went liking up my heep uv wood wur an oltugethur nu and straenj thing tu Weena.

'She wontud tu run tu it and play with it. I bileev she wood hav cast hurself intu it had I not ristraend hur. But I cot hur up, and in spiet uv hur strvgulz, plunjd boeldly bifor me intu the wood. For a litul way the gler uv my fier lit the path. Looking bak prezuntly, I cood se, thru the croudud stemz, that frum my heep uv stiks the blaez had spred tu sum booshuz ujaesunt, and a curvd lien uv fier wuz creeping up the gras uv the hil. I laft at that, and turnd ugen tu the dark treez bifor me. It wuz very blak, and Weena clung tu me cunvulsivly, but ther wuz stil, az my iez gru ucvstumd tu the darknus, sufishunt liet for me tu uvoid the stemz. Oevurhed it wuz simply blak, exept wer a gap uv rimoet blu sky shoen doun upon us hir and ther. I struk nun uv my machuz bicoz I had no hand fre. Upon my left arm I carryd my litul wun, in my riet hand I had my iern bar.

'For sum way I hurd nvthing but the crakuling twigz vndur my feet, the faent rvsul uv the breez ubuv, and my oen breething and the throb uv the blud-vesulz in my irz. Then I seemd tu no uv a paturing ubout me. I poosht on grimly. The paturing gru mor distinct, and then I cot the saem quir sound and voisuz I had hurd in the Vndur-wurld. Ther wur evuduntly sevurul uv the Morlocks, and thay wur cloezing in upon me. Indeed, in unvthur minut I felt a tug at my coet, then svmthing at my arm. And Weena shivurd viuluntly, and bicaem quiet stil.

'It wuz tiem for a mach. But tu get wun I must poot hur doun. I did so, and, az I fvmbuld with my pocut, a strvgul bigan in the darknus ubout my neez, pvrfictly sielunt on hur part and with the saem picuelyur cuing soundz frum the Morlocks. Soft litul handz, tu, wur creeping oevur my coet and bak, tvching eevun my nek. Then the mach scracht and fizd. I held it flering, and saw the wiet bakz uv the Morlocks in fliet umid the treez. I haestuly took a lump uv camfur frum my pocut, and priperd tu liet it az soon az the mach shood waen. Then I lookt at Weena. She wuz lying cluching my feet and quiet moeshunlus, with hur faes tu the ground. With a svdun friet I stoopt tu hur. She seemd skersly tu breeth. I lit the blok uv camfur and flung it tu the ground, and az it split and flerd up and droev bak the Morlocks and the shadoez, I nelt doun and liftud hur. The wood bihiend seemd ful uv the stur and mvrmur uv a graet cvmpuny!

'She seemd tu hav faentud. I poot hur kerfuly upon my shoeldur and roez tu poosh on, and then ther caem a horubul reuluzaeshun. In munoovuring with my machuz and Weena, I had turnd myself ubout sevurul tiemz, and now I had not the faentust iedea in wot durecshun lay my path. For ol I nu, I miet be faesing bak tordz the Palus uv Green Porsulun. I found myself in a coeld swet. I had tu think rapudly wot tu du. I ditvrmund tu bild a fier and incamp wer we wur. I poot Weena, stil moeshunlus, doun upon a turfy boel, and very haestuly, az my furst lump uv camfur waend, I bigan culecting stiks and leevz. Hir and ther out uv the darknus round me the Morlocks' iez shoen liek carbunculz.

'The camfur flikurd and went out. I lit a mach, and az I did so, tu wiet formz that had bin uproeching Weena dasht haestuly uway. Wun wuz so bliendud by the liet that he caem straet for me, and I felt hiz boenz griend vndur the blo uv my fist. He gaev a woop uv dismay, stagurd a litul way, and fel doun. I lit unvthur pees uv camfur, and went on gathuring my bonfier. Prezuntly I noetust how dry wuz sum uv the foeleij ubuv me, for sins my urievul on the Tiem Musheen, a matur uv a week, no raen had folun. So, insted uv casting ubout umvng the treez for folun twigz, I bigan leeping up and draging doun branchuz. Very soon I had a choeking smoeky fier uv green wood and dry stiks, and cood iconumiez my camfur. Then I turnd tu wer Weena lay bisied my iern maes. I tried wot I cood tu riviev hur, but she lay liek wun ded. I cood not eevun satusfi myself wethur or not she breethd.

'Now, the smoek uv the fier beet oevur tordz me, and it must hav maed me hevy uv a svdun. Moroevur, the vaepur uv camfur wuz in the er. My fier wood not need riplenishing for an our or so. I felt very wiry aftur my exvrshun, and sat doun. The wood, tu, wuz ful uv a slvmbrus mvrmur that I did not undurstand. I seemd just tu nod and oepun my iez. But ol wuz dark, and the Morlocks had ther handz upon me. Flinging of ther clinging fingurz I haestuly felt in my pocut for the mach-box, and--it had gon! Then thay gript and cloezd with me ugen. In a moemunt I nu wot had hapund. I had slept, and my fier had gon out, and the biturnus uv deth caem oevur my soel. The forust seemd ful uv the smel uv bvrning wood. I wuz cot by the nek, by the her, by the armz, and puld doun. It wuz indiscriebubly horubul in the darknus tu feel ol theez soft creechurz heept upon me. I felt az if I wuz in a monstrus spiedur'z web. I wuz oevurpourd, and went doun. I felt litul teeth niping at my nek. I roeld oevur, and az I did so my hand caem ugenst my iern levur. It gaev me strength. I strvguld up, shaeking the huemun rats frum me, and, hoelding the bar short, I thrust wer I jujd ther faesuz miet be. I cood feel the svcyulunt giving uv flesh and boen vndur my bloez, and for a moemunt I wuz fre.

'The straenj exultaeshun that so ofun seemz tu ucvmpuny hard fieting caem upon me. I nu that boeth I and Weena wur lost, but I ditvrmund tu maek the Morlocks pay for ther meet. I stood with my bak tu a tre, swinging the iern bar bifor me. The hoel wood wuz ful uv the stur and criez uv them. A minut past. Ther voisuz seemd tu riez tu a hyur pich uv exietmunt, and ther moovmunts gru fastur. Yet nun caem within reech. I stood glering at the blaknus. Then svdunly caem hoep. Wot if the Morlocks wur ufraed? And cloes on the heelz uv that caem a straenj thing. The darknus seemd tu gro loomunus. Very dimly I bigan tu se the Morlocks ubout me--thre baturd at my feet--and then I recugniezd, with increjulus surpriez, that the vthurz wur rvning, in an insesunt streem, az it seemd, frum bihiend me, and uway thru the wood in frunt. And ther bakz seemd no longur wiet, but redish. Az I stood ugaep, I saw a litul red spark go drifting ucros a gap uv starliet bitween the branchuz, and vanish. And at that I undurstood the smel uv bvrning wood, the slvmbrus mvrmur that wuz groing now intu a gvsty ror, the red glo, and the Morlocks' fliet.

'Steping out frum bihiend my tre and looking bak, I saw, thru the blak pilurz uv the nirur treez, the flaemz uv the bvrning forust. It wuz my furst fier cuming aftur me. With that I lookt for Weena, but she wuz gon. The hising and crakuling bihiend me, the exploesiv thud az eech fresh tre burst intu flaem, left litul tiem for riflecshun. My iern bar stil gript, I foloed in the Morlocks' path. It wuz a cloes raes. Wuns the flaemz crept forwurd so swiftly on my riet az I ran that I wuz outflankd and had tu striek of tu the left. But at last I imvrjd upon a smol oepun spaes, and az I did so, a Morlock caem blvnduring tordz me, and past me, and went on straet intu the fier!

'And now I wuz tu se the moest wird and horubul thing, I think, uv ol that I biheld in that fuechur aej. This hoel spaes wuz az briet az day with the riflecshun uv the fier. In the sentur wuz a hiluk or toomyulus*, surmountud by a scorcht hothorn. Beond this wuz unvthur arm uv the bvrning forust, with yelo tungz olredy riething frum it, cumpleetly insvrculing the spaes with a fens uv fier. Upon the hil-sied wur sum thvrty or forty Morlocks, dazuld by the liet and heet, and blvnduring hithur and thithur ugenst eech vthur in ther biwildurmunt. At furst I did not reuliez ther bliendnus, and struk fyooreusly at them with my bar, in a frenzy uv fir, az thay uproecht me, kiling wun and cripling sevurul mor. But wen I had wocht the jeschurz uv wun uv them groeping vndur the hothorn ugenst the red sky, and hurd ther moenz, I wuz ushoord uv ther absuloot helplusnus and mizury in the gler, and I struk no mor uv them.

*toomyulus - tumulus - ancient grave mound or raised mound of earth.

'Yet evry now and then wun wood cum straet tordz me, seting loos a quivuring horur that maed me quik tu ilood him. At wun tiem the flaemz died doun svmwot, and I fird the foul creechurz wood prezuntly be aebul tu se me. I wuz thinking uv bigining the fiet by kiling sum uv them bifor this shood hapun; but the fier burst out ugen brietly, and I stayd my hand. I wokd ubout the hil umvng them and uvoidud them, looking for sum traes uv Weena. But Weena wuz gon.

'At last I sat doun on the svmut uv the hiluk, and wocht this straenj incredubul cvmpuny uv bliend thingz groeping tu and fro, and maeking uncany noizuz tu eech vthur, az the gler uv the fier beet on them. The coiling vprush uv smoek streemd ucros the sky, and thru the rer taturz uv that red canupy, rimoet az tho thay bilongd tu unvthur uenuvurs, shoen the litul starz. Tu or thre Morlocks caem blvnduring intu me, and I droev them of with bloez uv my fists, trembuling az I did so.

'For the moest part uv that niet I wuz purswaedud it wuz a nietmer. I bit myself and screemd in a pashunut dizier tu uwaek. I beet the ground with my handz, and got up and sat doun ugen, and wondurd hir and ther, and ugen sat doun. Then I wood fol tu rubing my iez and coling upon God tu let me uwaek. Thries I saw Morlocks poot ther hedz doun in a kiend uv aguny and rush intu the flaemz. But, at last, ubuv the subsieding red uv the fier, ubuv the streeming masuz uv blak smoek and the wietuning and blakuning tre stumps, and the duminishing nvmburz uv theez dim creechurz, caem the wiet liet uv the day.

'I surcht ugen for traesuz uv Weena, but ther wur nun. It wuz plaen that thay had left hur poor litul body in the forust. I canot discrieb how it rileevd me tu think that it had iscaept the oful faet tu wich it seemd destund. Az I thot uv that, I wuz olmoest moovd tu bigin a masucur uv the helplus ubomunaeshunz ubout me, but I cuntaend myself. The hiluk, az I hav sed, wuz a kiend uv ielund in the forust. Frum its svmut I cood now maek out thru a haez uv smoek the Palus uv Green Porsulun, and frum that I cood get my beringz for the Wiet Sfinx. And so, leeving the remnunt uv theez damd soelz stil going hithur and thithur and moening, az the day gru clirur, I tied sum gras ubout my feet and limpt on ucros smoeking ashuz and umvng blak stemz, that stil pvlsaetud intvrnuly with fier, tordz the hieding-plaes uv the Tiem Musheen. I wokd sloely, for I wuz olmoest exostud, az wel az laem, and I felt the intensust rechudnus for the horubul deth uv litul Weena. It seemd an oevurwelming culamuty. Now, in this oeld fumilyur room, it iz mor liek the saro uv a dreem than an acchuul los. But that morning it left me absulootly loenly ugen--terubly uloen. I bigan tu think uv this hous uv mien, uv this fiersied, uv sum uv yu, and with such thots caem a longing that wuz paen.

'But az I wokd oevur the smoeking ashuz vndur the briet morning sky, I maed a discuvury. In my trouzur pocut wur stil sum loos machuz. The box must hav leekd bifor it wuz lost.

X

'Ubout aet or nien in the morning I caem tu the saem seet uv yelo metul frum wich I had vued the wurld upon the eevning uv my urievul. I thot uv my haesty cuncloozhunz upon that eevning and cood not rifraen frum lafing biturly at my confuduns. Hir wuz the saem buetuful seen, the saem ubvndunt foeleij, the saem splendud palusuz and magnifusunt ruunz, the saem silvur rivur rvning bitween its fvrtul bankz. The gay roebz uv the buetuful peepul moovd hithur and thithur umvng the treez. Sum wur baething in exacly the plaes wer I had saevd Weena, and that svdunly gaev me a keen stab uv paen. And liek blots upon the landscaep roez the cuepulaz ubuv the wayz tu the Vndur-wurld. I undurstood now wot ol the buety uv the Oevur-wurld peepul cuvurd. Very plezunt wuz ther day, az plezunt az the day uv the catul in the feeld. Liek the catul, thay nu uv no enumyz and pruviedud ugenst no needz. And ther end wuz the saem.

'I greevd tu think how breef the dreem uv the huemun intulect had bin. It had cumitud suusied. It had set itself stedfastly tordz cvmfurt and eez, a balunst susiuty with sicyooruty and pvrmununsy az its wochwurd, it had utaend its hoeps--tu cum tu this at last. Wuns, lief and propurty must hav reecht olmoest absuloot saefty. The rich had bin ushoord uv hiz welth and cvmfurt, the toilur ushoord uv hiz lief and wurk. No dout in that pvrfict wurld ther had bin no unimployd problum, no soeshul queschun left unsolvd. And a graet quiut had foloed.

'It iz a law uv naechur we oevurlook, that intulecchuul vursutiluty iz the compunsaeshun for chaenj, daenjur, and trvbul. An anumul pvrfictly in harmuny with its invierunmunt iz a pvrfict mecunizum. Naechur nevur upeelz tu intelujuns until habut and instinct ar ueslus. Ther iz no intelujuns wer ther iz no chaenj and no need uv chaenj. Oenly thoez anumulz partaek uv intelujuns that hav tu meet a huej vuriuty uv needz and daenjurz.

'So, az I se it, the Vpur-wurld man had driftud tordz hiz feebul pritynus, and the Vndur-wurld tu mir mucanicul industry. But that pvrfict staet had lakd wun thing eevun for mucanicul purfecshun--absuloot pvrmununsy. Uparruntly az tiem went on, the feeding uv the Vndur-wurld, howevur it wuz ifectud, had bicvm disjointud. Mvthur Nusesuty, hu had bin staevd of for a fue thouzund yirz, caem bak ugen, and she bigan bilo. The Vndur-wurld being in contact with musheenury, wich, howevur pvrfict, stil needz sum litul thot outsied habut, had probubly ritaend purfors rathur mor inishutiv, if les uv evry vthur huemun carructur, than the Vpur. And wen vthur meet faeld them, thay turnd tu wot oeld habut had hithurtu furbidun. So I say I saw it in my last vue uv the wurld uv Aet Hvndrud and Tu Thouzund Sevun Hvndrud and Wun. It may be az rong an explunaeshun az mortul wit cood invent. It iz how the thing shaept itself tu me, and az that I giv it tu yu.

'Aftur the futeegz, exietmunts, and terurz uv the past dayz, and in spiet uv my greef, this seet and the tranquul vue and the worm svnliet wur very plezunt. I wuz very tierd and sleepy, and soon my theuriezing past intu doezing. Caching myself at that, I took my oen hint, and spreding myself out upon the turf I had a long and rifreshing sleep.

'I uwoek a litul bifor svnseting. I now felt saef ugenst being cot naping by the Morlocks, and, streching myself, I caem on doun the hil tordz the Wiet Sfinx. I had my croebar in wun hand, and the vthur hand playd with the machuz in my pocut.

'And now caem a moest unexpectud thing. Az I uproecht the pedustul uv the sfinx I found the bronz valvz wur oepun. Thay had slid doun intu groovz.

'At that I stopt short bifor them, hezutaeting tu entur.

'Within wuz a smol upartmunt, and on a raezd plaes in the cornur uv this wuz the Tiem Musheen. I had the smol levurz in my pocut. So hir, aftur ol my ilaburut prepuraeshunz for the seej uv the Wiet Sfinx, wuz a meek surendur. I thru my iern bar uway, olmoest sary not tu uez it.

'A svdun thot caem intu my hed az I stoopt tordz the portul.

For wuns, at leest, I graspt the mentul opuraeshunz uv the Morlocks. Supresing a strong inclunaeshun tu laf, I stept thru the bronz fraem and up tu the Tiem Musheen. I wuz surpriezd tu fiend it had bin kerfuly oild and cleend. I hav suspectud sins that the Morlocks had eevun parshuly taekun it tu peesuz wiel trying in ther dim way tu grasp its pvrpus.

'Now az I stood and examund it, fiending a plezhur in the mir tuch uv the cuntrievuns, the thing I had expectud hapund. The bronz panulz svdunly slid up and struk the fraem with a clang. I wuz in the dark--trapt. So the Morlocks thot. At that I chvculd gleefuly.

'I cood olredy hir ther mvrmuring laftur az thay caem tordz me. Very comly I tried tu striek the mach. I had oenly tu fix on the levurz and dipart then liek a goest. But I had oevurlookd wun litul thing. The machuz wur uv that ubomunubul kiend that liet oenly on the box.

'Yu may imajun how ol my com vanisht. The litul broots wur cloes upon me. Wun tucht me. I maed a sweeping blo in the dark at them with the levurz, and bigan tu scrambul intu the sadul uv the musheen. Then caem wun hand upon me and then unvthur. Then I had simply tu fiet ugenst ther pursistunt fingurz for my levurz, and at the saem tiem feel for the studz oevur wich theez fitud. Wun, indeed, thay olmoest got uway frum me. Az it slipt frum my hand, I had tu but in the dark with my hed--I cood hir the Morlock's scul ring--tu ricuvur it. It wuz a nirur thing than the fiet in the forust, I think, this last scrambul.

'But at last the levur wuz fitud and puld oevur. The clinging handz slipt frum me. The darknus prezuntly fel frum my iez. I found myself in the saem gray liet and toomult I hav olredy discriebd.

XI

'I hav olredy toeld yu uv the siknus and cunfuezhun that cumz with tiem travuling. And this tiem I wuz not seetud propurly in the sadul, but siedwaez and in an unstaebul fashun. For an indefunut tiem I clung tu the musheen az it swaied and viebraetud, quiet unheeding how I went, and wen I brot myself tu look at the diulz ugen I wuz umaezd tu fiend wer I had urievd. Wun diul ricordz dayz, and unvthur thouzundz uv dayz, unvthur milyunz uv dayz, and unvthur thouzundz uv milyunz. Now, insted uv rivursing the levurz, I had puld them oevur so az tu go forwurd with them, and wen I caem tu look at theez inducaeturz I found that the thouzundz hand wuz sweeping round az fast az the secundz hand uv a woch--intu fuechvruty.

'Az I droev on, a picuelyur chaenj crept oevur the upiruns uv thingz. The palputaeting graynus gru darkur; then--tho I wuz stil travuling with prudijus vulosuty--the blinking suxeshun uv day and niet, wich wuz uezhuuly indicutiv uv a slour paes, ritvrnd, and gru mor and mor markt. This pvzuld me very much at furst. The olturnaeshunz uv niet and day gru slour and slour, and so did the pasij uv the sun ucros the sky, until thay seemd tu strech thru senchuryz. At last a stedy twieliet broodud oevur the Earth, a twieliet oenly broekun now and then wen a comut glerd ucros the darkling sky. The band uv liet that had inducaetud the sun had long sins disupird; for the sun had seest tu set--it simply roez and fel in the west, and gru evur brodur and mor red. Ol traes uv the moon had vanisht. The svrculing uv the starz, groing slour and slour, had givun plaes tu creeping points uv liet. At last, sum tiem bifor I stopt, the sun, red and very larj, holtud moeshunlus upon the huriezun, a vast doem gloing with a dul heet, and now and then svfuring a moemuntery extincshun. At wun tiem it had for a litul wiel gloed mor brilyuntly ugen, but it speeduly rivurtud tu its svlun red heet. I purseevd by this sloing doun uv its riezing and seting that the wurk uv the tiedul drag wuz dun. The Earth had cum tu rest with wun faes tu the sun, eevun az in our oen tiem the moon faesuz the Earth. Very coshusly, for I rimemburd my formur hedlong fol, I bigan tu rivurs my moeshun. Slour and slour went the svrculing handz until the thouzundz wun seemd moeshunlus and the dayly wun wuz no longur a mir mist upon its scael. Stil slour, until the dim outlienz uv a desulut beech gru vizubul.

'I stopt very jently and sat upon the Tiem Musheen, looking round. The sky wuz no longur blu. North-eestwurd it wuz inky blak, and out uv the blaknus shoen brietly and steduly the pael wiet starz. Oevurhed it wuz a deep Indian red and starlus, and south-eestwurd it gru brietur tu a gloing scarlut wer, cut by the huriezun, lay the huej hul uv the sun, red and moeshunlus. The rokz ubout me wur uv a harsh redish cvlur, and ol the traes uv lief that I cood se at furst wuz the intensly green vejutaeshun that cuvurd evry prujecting point on ther south-eesturn faes. It wuz the saem rich green that wun seez on forust mos or on the liecun in caevz: plants wich liek theez gro in a purpechuul twieliet.

'The musheen wuz standing on a sloeping beech. The se strecht uway tu the south-west, tu riez intu a sharp briet huriezun ugenst the won sky. Ther wur no braekurz and no waevz, for not a breth uv wind wuz stvring. Oenly a sliet oily swel roez and fel liek a jentul breething, and shoed that the itvrnul se wuz stil mooving and living. And ulong the marjun wer the wotur svmtiemz broek wuz a thik incrustaeshun uv solt--pink vndur the loorud sky. Ther wuz a sens uv upreshun in my hed, and I noetust that I wuz breething very fast. The sensaeshun rimiendud me uv my oenly expireuns uv mountuniring, and frum that I jujd the er tu be mor rerufied than it iz now.

'Far uway up the desulut sloep I hurd a harsh screem, and saw a thing liek a huej wiet bvturfly go slanting and flvturing up intu the sky and, svrculing, disupir oevur sum lo hilukz beond. The sound uv its vois wuz so dizmul that I shivurd and seetud myself mor fvrmly upon the musheen. Looking round me ugen, I saw that, quiet nir, wot I had taekun tu be a redish mas uv rok wuz mooving sloely tordz me. Then I saw the thing wuz reely a monstrus crab-liek creechur. Can yu imajun a crab az larj az yondur taebul, with its meny legz mooving sloely and unsvrtunly, its big clawz swaying, its long anteny, liek cartur'z wips, waeving and feeling, and its stokd iez gleeming at yu on eethur sied uv its mutalic frunt? Its bak wuz corugaetud and ornumuntud with ungaenly bosuz, and a greenish incrustaeshun blocht it hir and ther. I cood se the meny palps uv its complucaetud mouth flikuring and feeling az it moovd.

'Az I sterd at this sinustur apurishun croling tordz me, I felt a ticuling on my cheek az tho a fly had lietud ther. I tried tu brush it uway with my hand, but in a moemunt it ritvrnd, and olmoest imeedeutly caem unvthur by my ir. I struk at this, and cot svmthing thredliek. It wuz drawn swiftly out uv my hand. With a frietful quom, I turnd, and I saw that I had graspt the antena uv unvthur monstur crab that stood just bihiend me. Its eevul iez wur riguling on ther stokz, its mouth wuz ol uliev with aputiet, and its vast ungaenly clawz, smird with an algul sliem, wur disending upon me. In a moemunt my hand wuz on the levur, and I had plaest a munth bitween myself and theez monsturz. But I wuz stil on the saem beech, and I saw them distinctly now az soon az I stopt. Dvzunz uv them seemd tu be croling hir and ther, in the sombur liet, umvng the foeleaetud sheets uv intens green.

'I canot cunvay the sens uv ubomunubul desulaeshun that hung oevur the wurld. The red eesturn sky, the northwurd blaknus, the solt Ded Se, the stoeny beech croling with theez foul, slo-stvring monsturz, the uenuform poizunus-looking green uv the liekunus plants, the thin er that hurts wun'z lungz: ol cuntribuetud tu an upoling ifect. I moovd on a hvndrud yirz, and ther wuz the saem red sun--a litul larjur, a litul dulur--the saem dying se, the saem chil er, and the saem croud uv vrthy crustaeshy creeping in and out umvng the green weed and the red rokz. And in the westwurd sky, I saw a curvd pael lien liek a vast nu moon.

'So I travuld, stoping evur and ugen, in graet striedz uv a thouzund yirz or mor, drawn on by the mistury uv the Earth's faet, woching with a straenj fasunaeshun the sun gro larjur and dulur in the westwurd sky, and the lief uv the oeld Earth eb uway. At last, mor than thvrty milyun yirz hens, the huej red-hot doem uv the sun had cum tu ubscyoor nirly a tenth part uv the darkling hevunz. Then I stopt wuns mor, for the croling multutood uv crabz had disupird, and the red beech, saev for its livud green livurworts and liecunz, seemd lieflus. And now it wuz flekd with wiet. A bitur coeld usaeld me. Rer wiet flaekz evur and ugen caem edying doun. Tu the north-eestwurd, the gler uv sno lay vndur the starliet uv the saebul sky and I cood se an vnjulaeting crest uv hilukz pinkish wiet. Ther wur frinjuz uv ies ulong the se marjun, with drifting masuz fvrthur out; but the maen expans uv that solt oeshun, ol bludy vndur the itvrnul svnset, wuz stil unfroezun.

'I lookt ubout me tu se if eny traesuz uv anumul lief rimaend. A svrtun indifienubul apruhenchun stil kept me in the sadul uv the musheen. But I saw nvthing mooving, in Earth or sky or se. The green sliem on the rokz uloen testufied that lief wuz not extinct. A shalo sandbank had upird in the se and the wotur had riseedud frum the beech. I fansyd I saw sum blak objict floping ubout upon this bank, but it bicaem moeshunlus az I lookt at it, and I jujd that my ie had bin diseevd, and that the blak objict wuz mirly a rok. The starz in the sky wur intensly briet and seemd tu me tu twincul very litul.

'Svdunly I noetust that the svrcyulur westwurd outlien uv the sun had chaenjd; that a concavuty, a bay, had upird in the curv. I saw this gro larjur. For a minut purhaps I sterd ugast at this blaknus that wuz creeping oevur the day, and then I reuliezd that an iclips wuz bigining. Eethur the moon or the planut Mercury wuz pasing ucros the sun'z disk. Nachuruly, at furst I took it tu be the moon, but ther iz much tu inclien me tu bileev that wot I reely saw wuz the transut uv an inur planut pasing very nir tu the Earth.

'The darknus gru upaes; a coeld wind bigan tu blo in freshuning gusts frum the eest, and the shouuring wiet flaekz in the er increest in nvmbur. Frum the ej uv the se caem a ripul and wispur. Beond theez lieflus soundz the wurld wuz sielunt. Sielunt? It wood be hard tu cunvay the stilnus uv it. Ol the soundz uv man, the bleeting uv sheep, the criez uv burdz, the hum uv insects, the stur that maekz the bakground uv our lievz--ol that wuz oevur. Az the darknus thikund, the edying flaekz gru mor ubvndunt, dansing bifor my iez; and the coeld uv the er mor intens. At last, wun by wun, swiftly, wun aftur the vthur, the wiet peekz uv the distunt hilz vanisht intu blaknus. The breez roez tu a moening wind. I saw the blak sentrul shado uv the iclips sweeping tordz me. In unvthur moemunt the pael starz uloen wur vizubul. Ol els wuz raylus ubscyooruty. The sky wuz absulootly blak.

'A horur uv this graet darknus caem on me. The coeld, that smoet tu my marro, and the paen I felt in breething, oevurcaem me. I shivurd, and a dedly nozea seezd me. Then liek a red-hot bo in the sky upird the ej uv the sun. I got of the musheen tu ricuvur myself. I felt gidy and incaepubul uv faesing the ritvrn jvrny. Az I stood sik and cunfuezd I saw ugen the mooving thing upon the shoel--ther wuz no mistaek now that it wuz a mooving thing--ugenst the red wotur uv the se. It wuz a round thing, the siez uv a footbol purhaps, or, it may be, bigur, and tentuculz traeld doun frum it; it seemd blak ugenst the welturing blud-red wotur, and it wuz hoping fitfuly ubout. Then I felt I wuz faenting. But a terubul dred uv lying helplus in that rimoet and oful twieliet sustaend me wiel I clamburd upon the sadul.

XII

'So I caem bak. For a long tiem I must hav bin insensubul upon the musheen. The blinking suxeshun uv the dayz and niets wuz rizoomd, the sun got goeldun ugen, the sky blu. I breethd with graetur freedum. The flucchuaeting contoorz uv the land ebd and floed. The handz spun bakwurd upon the diulz. At last I saw ugen the dim shadoez uv houzuz, the evudunsuz uv decudunt huemanuty. Theez, tu, chaenjd and past, and vthurz caem. Prezuntly, wen the milyun diul wuz at ziro, I slakund speed. I bigan tu recugniez our oen pety and fumilyur arcutecchur, the thouzundz hand ran bak tu the starting-point, the niet and day flapt sloeur and sloeur. Then the oeld wolz uv the labrutory caem round me. Very jently, now, I sloed the mecunizum doun.

'I saw wun litul thing that seemd od tu me. I think I hav toeld yu that wen I set out, bifor my vulosuty bicaem very hy, Mrs. Watchett had wokd ucros the room, travuling, az it seemd tu me, liek a rocut. Az I ritvrnd, I past ugen ucros that minut wen she truvurst the labrutory. But now hur evry moeshun upird tu be the exact invurzhun uv hur preeveus wunz. The dor at the loeur end oepund, and she gliedud quiutly up the labrutory, bak formoest, and disupird bihiend the dor by wich she had preeveusly enturd. Just bifor that I seemd tu se Hileur for a moemunt; but he past liek a flash.

'Then I stopt the musheen, and saw ubout me ugen the oeld fumilyur labrutory, my toolz, my upliunsuz just az I had left them. I got of the thing very shaekuly, and sat doun upon my bench. For sevurul minuts I trembuld viuluntly. Then I bicaem comur. Uround me wuz my oeld wvrkshop ugen, exacly az it had bin. I miet hav slept ther, and the hoel thing hav bin a dreem.

'And yet, not exacly! The thing had startud frum the south-eest cornur uv the labrutory. It had cum tu rest ugen in the north-west, ugenst the wol wer yu saw it. That givz yu the exact distuns frum my litul lon tu the pedustul uv the Wiet Sfinx, intu wich the Morlocks had carryd my musheen.

'For a tiem my braen went stagnunt. Prezuntly I got up and caem thru the pasij hir, limping, bicoz my heel wuz stil paenful, and feeling sorly bigriemd. I saw the Pall Mall Guzet on the taebul by the dor. I found the daet wuz indeed tu-day, and looking at the tiempees, saw the our wuz olmoest aet u'clok. I hurd yoor voisuz and the clatur uv plaets. I hezutaetud--I felt so sik and week. Then I snift good hoelsum meet, and oepund the dor on yu. Yu no the rest. I wosht, and diend, and now I am teling yu the story.

'I no,' he sed, aftur a poz, 'that ol this wil be absulootly incredubul tu yu. Tu me the wun incredubul thing iz that I am hir tu-niet in this oeld fumilyur room looking intu yoor frendly faesuz and teling yu theez straenj udvenchurz.'

He lookt at the Medicul Man. 'No. I canot expect yu tu bileev it. Taek it az a ly--or a profusy. Say I dreemd it in the wvrkshop. Cunsidur I hav bin specyulaeting upon the destunyz uv our raes until I hav hacht this ficshun. Treet my usvrshun uv its trooth az a mir stroek uv art tu inhans its inturust. And taeking it az a story, wot du yu think uv it?'

He took up hiz piep, and bigan, in hiz oeld ucvstumd manur, tu tap with it nvrvusly upon the barz uv the graet. Ther wuz a moemuntery stilnus. Then cherz bigan tu creek and shooz tu scraep upon the carput. I took my iez of the Tiem Travulur'z faes, and lookt round at hiz odeuns. Thay wur in the dark, and litul spots uv cvlur swam bifor them. The Medicul Man seemd ubsorbd in the contumplaeshun uv our hoest. The Edutur wuz looking hard at the end uv hiz sigar--the sixth. The Jvrnulist fvmbuld for hiz woch. The vthurz, az far az I rimembur, wur moeshunlus.

The Edutur stood up with a sy. 'Wot a pity it iz yu'r not a rietur uv storyz!' he sed, puting hiz hand on the Tiem Travulur'z shoeldur.

'Yu doent bileev it?'

'Wel----'

'I thot not.'

The Tiem Travulur turnd tu us. 'Wer ar the machuz?' he sed. He lit wun and spoek oevur hiz piep, pufing. 'Tu tel yu the trooth ... I hardly bileev it myself.... And yet...'

Hiz ie fel with a muet inquury upon the withurd wiet flourz upon the litul taebul. Then he turnd oevur the hand hoelding hiz piep, and I saw he wuz looking at sum haf-heeld scarz on hiz nvculz.

The Medicul Man roez, caem tu the lamp, and examund the flourz. 'The jinuseum'z* od,' he sed. The Siecolujist leend forwurd tu se, hoelding out hiz hand for a spesumun.

*jinuseum'z - gynaeceum - women's quarters?

'I'm hangd if it iznt a quortur tu wun,' sed the Jvrnulist.

'How shal we get hoem?'

'Plenty uv cabz at the staeshun,' sed the Siecolujist.

'It's a cyooreus thing,' sed the Medicul Man; 'but I svrtunly doent no the nachurul ordur uv theez flourz. May I hav them?'

The Tiem Travulur hezutaetud. Then svdunly: 'Svrtunly not.'

'Wer did yu reely get them?' sed the Medicul Man.

The Tiem Travulur poot hiz hand tu hiz hed. He spoek liek wun hu wuz trying tu keep hoeld uv an iedea that iloodud him. 'Thay wur poot intu my pocut by Weena, wen I travuld intu Tiem.' He sterd round the room. 'I'm damd if it iznt ol going. This room and yu and the atmusfir uv evry day iz tu much for my memry. Did I evur maek a Tiem Musheen, or a modul uv a Tiem Musheen? Or iz it ol oenly a dreem? Thay say lief iz a dreem, a preshus poor dreem at tiemz--but I cant stand unvthur that woent fit. It's madnus. And wer did the dreem cum frum? ... I must look at that musheen. If ther iz wun!'

He cot up the lamp swiftly, and carryd it, flering red, thru the dor intu the corudur. We foloed him. Ther in the flikuring liet uv the lamp wuz the musheen shoor invf, squot, vgly, and uscue; a thing uv bras, ebuny, ievury, and transloosunt glimuring quorts. Solud tu the tuch--for I poot out my hand and felt the rael uv it--and with broun spots and smirz upon the ievury, and bits uv gras and mos upon the loeur parts, and wun rael bent uri.

The Tiem Travulur poot the lamp doun on the bench, and ran hiz hand ulong the damijd rael. 'It's ol riet now,' he sed. 'The story I toeld yu wuz tru. I'm sary tu hav brot yu out hir in the coeld.' He took up the lamp, and, in an absuloot sieluns, we ritvrnd tu the smoeking-room.

He caem intu the hol with us and helpt the Edutur on with hiz coet. The Medicul Man lookt intu hiz faes and, with a svrtun hezutaeshun, toeld him he wuz svfuring frum oevurwurk, at wich he laft huejly. I rimembur him standing in the oepun dorway, boling good niet.

I sherd a cab with the Edutur. He thot the tael a 'gody ly.' For my oen part I wuz unaebul tu cum tu a cuncloozhun. The story wuz so fantastic and incredubul, the teling so credubul and soebur. I lay uwaek moest uv the niet thinking ubout it. I ditvrmund tu go next day and se the Tiem Travulur ugen. I wuz toeld he wuz in the labrutory, and being on eezy turmz in the hous, I went up tu him. The labrutory, howevur, wuz empty. I sterd for a minut at the Tiem Musheen and poot out my hand and tucht the levur. At that the squot substanchul-looking mas swaied liek a bow shaekun by the wind. Its instubiluty startuld me extreemly, and I had a quir remunisuns uv the chieldish dayz wen I uezd tu be furbidun tu medul. I caem bak thru the corudur. The Tiem Travulur met me in the smoeking-room. He wuz cuming frum the hous. He had a smol camura vndur wun arm and a napsak vndur the vthur. He laft wen he saw me, and gaev me an elbo tu shaek. 'I'm frietfuly bizy,' sed he, 'with that thing in ther.'

'But iz it not sum hoex?' I sed. 'Du yu reely travul thru tiem?'

'Reely and trooly I du.' And he lookt frankly intu my iez. He hezutaetud. Hiz ie wondurd ubout the room. 'I oenly wont haf an our,' he sed. 'I no wy yu caem, and it's ofuly good uv yu. Ther'z sum maguzynz hir. If yu'l stop tu lunch I'l proov yu this tiem travuling up tu the hilt, spesumun and ol. If yu'l furgiv my leeving yu now?'

I cunsentud, hardly comprihending then the ful import uv hiz wurdz, and he nodud and went on doun the corudur. I hurd the dor uv the labrutory slam, seetud myself in a cher, and took up a dayly paepur. Wot wuz he going tu du bifor lunch-tiem? Then svdunly I wuz rimiendud by an advurtiezmunt that I had promust tu meet Richardson, the pvblishur, at tu. I lookt at my woch, and saw that I cood berly saev that ingaejmunt. I got up and went doun the pasij tu tel the Tiem Travulur.

Az I took hoeld uv the handul uv the dor I hurd an exclumaeshun, odly trvncaetud at the end, and a clik and a thud. A gust uv er wurld round me az I oepund the dor, and frum within caem the sound uv broekun glas foling on the flor. The Tiem Travulur wuz not ther. I seemd tu se a goestly, indistinct figyur siting in a wurling mas uv blak and bras for a moemunt--a figyur so transperunt that the bench bihiend with its sheets uv drawingz wuz absulootly distinct; but this fantazum vanisht az I rubd my iez. The Tiem Musheen had gon. Saev for a subsieding stur uv dust, the fvrthur end uv the labrutory wuz empty. A paen uv the skyliet had, uparruntly, just bin bloen in.

I felt an unreezunubul umaezmunt. I nu that svmthing straenj had hapund, and for the moemunt cood not distingwish wot the straenj thing miet be. Az I stood stering, the dor intu the gardun oepund, and the man-svrvunt upird.

We lookt at eech vthur. Then iedeaz bigan tu cum. 'Haz Mr. ---- gon out that way?' sed I.

'No, sur. No wun haz cum out this way. I wuz expecting tu fiend him hir.'

At that I undurstood. At the risk uv disupointing Richardson I stayd on, waeting for the Tiem Travulur; waeting for the secund, purhaps stil straenjur story, and the spesumunz and foetugrafs he wood bring with him. But I am bigining now tu fir that I must waet a lieftiem. The Tiem Travulur vanisht thre yirz ugo. And, az evrybody noez now, he haz nevur ritvrnd.

EPILOGUE

Wun canot chooz but wvndur. Wil he evur ritvrn? It may be that he swept bak intu the past, and fel umvng the blud-drinking, hery savijuz uv the Aej uv Unpolisht Stoen; intu the ubisuz uv the Cretaceous Se; or umvng the groetesk soreunz, the huej reptileun broots uv the Jurassic tiemz. He may eevun now--if I may uez the fraez--be wonduring on sum pleseusorus-hontud Oolitic corul reef, or bisied the loenly saelyn laekz uv the Triassic Aej. Or did he go forwurd, intu wun uv the nirur aejuz, in wich men ar stil men, but with the ridulz uv our oen tiem ansurd and its wirysum problumz solvd? Intu the manhood uv the raes: for I, for my oen part, canot think that theez latur dayz uv week experumunt, fragmuntery theury, and muechuul discord ar indeed man'z cvlmunaeting tiem! I say, for my oen part. He, I no--for the queschun had bin discvst umvng us long bifor the Tiem Musheen wuz maed--thot but chirlusly uv the Udvansmunt uv Mankiend, and saw in the groing piel uv sivuluzaeshun oenly a foolish heeping that must inevutubly fol bak upon and distroy its maekurz in the end. If that iz so, it rimaenz for us tu liv az tho it wur not so. But tu me the fuechur iz stil blak and blank--iz a vast ignuruns, lit at a fue cazhuul plaesuz by the memry uv hiz story. And I hav by me, for my cvmfurt, tu straenj wiet flourz--shrivuld now, and broun and flat and britul--tu witnus that eevun wen miend and strength had gon, gratutood and a muechuul tendurnus stil livd on in the hart uv man.

Paul Stought 072305